How Can Creative Activities Assist in Improving Mental Health?

By: J'Niyah Lorenzana

Introduction

It's assumed that mental health is just “one of those things” that has popped up with the newer generations.  What people are unaware of is the fact that mental health has always been a thing, just something that’s always been unnoticed.  With mental health finally being recognized, it's beneficial to understand some alternative, natural ways to help and cope.  Some recognized ways of coping with mental health are exercise, diet, meditation, therapy, and more, but these coping mechanisms may feel forced, especially for teens.  This is why creative outlets are needed in the realm of mental health. 

Psychological and Emotional Benefits

Creative outlets have several kinds of therapeutic benefits.  Outlets such as music, painting, and journaling are some of the most popular due to their ability to express feelings through the activity.  The strategy allows people to gain insight into their own feelings as well as release feelings that were actively hurting them.  This is such a good strategy for teens due to their resistance against opening up and sharing (Diverus Health).  Additionally, this release of emotions contributes to the ability to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety affecting oneself.  The body’s cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, decreases while engaging in these expressive outlets due to the increase in dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure that also reduces symptoms of anxiety (Yestotherapy). 

These neurotransmitters also connect to the focus of a person that may be affected when facing a mental health issue, dopamine, along with feelings of pleasure, creating what is called a “flow state” that allows someone to become zoned into a topic.  This causes them to lose track of time and the distractions around them, allowing them to clear their mind. 

Cognitivity

“Cognitivity refers to the capacity for mental activities like thinking, perceiving, remembering, and reasoning”. Cognitivity is a part of an individual's mental state simply for the reason that to take on mental activities, you have to be in a stable state of mind.  According to experts in psychology at Jacobs University, your brain requires creative drive and cognition in order to live a safe and fruitful life. Figure 1 shows the brain activity when exposed to kinds of creativity (Khalil et al).  Musical, verbal, and visuospatial outlets create more cognitive stimulation, giving people the capability to effectively take on mental challenges without the mental strain that harms their health.

Creative Activities 

Activities such as visual arts involve painting, drawing, coloring, and photography, which all allow expression through the creation of art.  If art doesn't seem to be your thing, maybe music and dance could be beneficial, or journaling, knitting, gardening, cooking, writing, etc. It's all about finding out what you already enjoy and using it to become something that can help you.

Conclusion

There's an abundance of creative and non-creative outlets that can be used to cope with mental health issues, so explore and find the activity you love the most!

Works Cited

Diversus Health. “The Mental Health Benefits of Creativity – Diversus Health.” Diversus Health, https://diversushealth.org/mental-health-blog/the-mental-health-benefits-of-creativity/. 

Field, Barbara. “How Creativity Positively Impacts Your Health.” Verywell Mind, 23 March 2021, https://www.verywellmind.com/how-creativity-positively-impacts-your-health-5113162. 

Khalil, Radwa, et al. “The Link Between Creativity, Cognition, and Creative Drives and Underlying Neural Mechanisms.” PubMed Central, 22 March 2019, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6440443/. 

YestoTherapy. “The Power of Creativity: Why Creative Outlets are Essential for Mental Health.” YestoTherapy, YestoTherapy, 14 April 2025, https://www.yestotherapy.com/post/the-power-of-creativity-why-creative-outlets-are-essential-for-mental-health#:~:text=The%20Science%20Behind%20Creativity%20and,the%20pressures%20of%20daily%20life.