Hobbies and Art in Stressful Times

When you’re feeling stressed over something, what do you do to handle it? Do you try to confront it head on? Do you seek extra support? What happens when the source of stress is something far outside of your control?

Sometimes what stresses you is only stressing you, sometimes it’s a stress felt by others. Sometimes it’s a stress that we can solve, but sometimes, it isn’t. Sometimes it could be a stressful situation for many people every several years. When you see others stressed out too, you might find some comfort knowing that your feelings aren’t just you. But sometimes the opposite can happen too, when you see how others handle that stress. If everyone else can put on a smile, does that mean you also should?

No one’s going to handle a stressful situation the same way. Some look towards hobbies as a way to keep themselves calm. Some want to talk with friends. Some might find blankets and sit in their cozy space until things blow over. Some might not feel stressed at all, but feel at odds when others are. Some don’t really know what to do. If you’re here, chances are you know that I like to talk about art. And I’d like to talk about how art might be able to help in times of stress too. Art and other creative hobbies can give us the space we need from the chaos of the world. What might you try, if you wanted to give art a shot in such a time?

Maybe you want to draw how you feel. You don’t have to share it with anyone else. Getting those emotions out visually can bring a shape to how you’re feeling and can help you work through that. But maybe you don’t want to draw how stressed you’re feeling, that’s OK too. Maybe you want to draw how you’d like to feel. It could be your character, or any character, on a nice vacation. Could be by the beach, in the snow, or on a road trip. It could be as simple as a character enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, or wearing their favorite clothes.

Maybe you want to draw something fantastical and so far from reality that it starts feeling absurd. It’s OK to want to escape reality for a bit. Through TV shows, video games, and so much more, we all find our ways to hide away for a bit. Your way of doing that might be to create your own fascinating worlds. Maybe you want to practice just to practice. Maybe you just want to draw what makes you comfortable, whether that’s your own characters, fanart, colorful landscapes, classical studies, your pets. Giving yourself a set activity can help put your mind at ease.

And maybe… you don’t feel like drawing or making art at all. That’s OK too. Don’t force yourself to maintain a habit unconditionally. Life’s full of exceptions, and if you need a moment to breathe, that’s OK and healthy. Don’t worry about what others are doing – if you need to do something different, you can. Everyone else has their own different ways to handle it too, even if that’s hard to see, even if that’s hard to see. It’s OK to want to take a break from what’s going on in the world. You don’t have to keep watch of everything. Find support in your friends, in your creativity, in your hobbies. Handle things in whatever way feels right.