Relieving Stress by Creating Art

 This is all about you!

Hello all! Dr. Mary here to share a few tidbits about my experiences with creating art! I currently love to create art with chalk pastels, oil pastels and colored pencils! I love the ease of using these materials to get a finished piece of art in a fairly short amount of time. Creating my art is fun and relaxing for me, and it is good for me! Let me share three benefits I have experienced in creating my own art that I know can positively benefit you when you create your own art! 

• Did you know that working with art materials can lower your stress level and leave you feeling mentally clear and calm? Works for me every time I start a project, even a simple creative doodle!
• Did you know the average person has roughly 60,000 thoughts per day and 90% of them are exactly the same, day in and day out.(bebrainfit.com) So creating art actually gives your brain a break from your usual daily thoughts. I find when I have had something bothering me throughout the day that taking some quiet time for myself to get the colored pencils out and begin to doodle makes me feel better! 
• Did you know that when you are totally immersed in a creative endeavor, you may find yourself in what I have always called my "zone", which to me is like a "wonderful" meditative state! The energetic art I create is completed when I am totally in my "zone" and I let my intuitive self take over what I am doing with the materials. This means there are NO mistakes when I am creating my art!