How Do Arts and Crafts Help During the COVID-19 Crisis?

The world has changed so much since the coronavirus pandemic came to hit us without a warning. Now, we are forced to stay home and only go out to buy our needs just so we can protect ourselves from this deadly virus and a lot of us are still trying to adjust to this “new normal.”

But in those days when we feel confined, bored, anxious, and frightened, we can always turn to arts and crafts to help us through the crisis. Here’s why:

Art helps relieve stress

When you paint, do crafts, play music or just immerse yourself in an art project, you’ll easily get lost in your thoughts and forget about the stresses that you’re facing even just for a few hours.

In fact, studies have shown that spending at least 45 minutes on an art project can help you relive stress, improve your memory and boost your critical thinking skills.

Art is a way of setting yourself free

Yes, you are confined in your home because it’s the right thing to do. Many of us mourn our freedom and the life that we know will never come back again.

But art is a way of expressing yourself freely and without any limits. In a time when you can only do so much in terms of movement, you have art as an avenue where you can be as creative as you want.

Arts and crafts allow you to be mobile

You’re probably guilty of spending more time lying in bed or on your couch for most of the day. While there’s nothing wrong with getting adequate rest, you should also need to be a bit more active to stay healthy.

Now if you’re not one to work out or play sports, you can do some arts and crafts projects to keep you mobile.

Art can inspire others

We all need each other at this point in time. Since we’re all put in the same situation, we can rely on each other for inspiration so we can all thrive during this pandemic.

Doing a simple painting or putting together a scrapbook can already inspire someone to keep going while it also benefits you physically and emotionally.

Arts and crafts are a great way to bond with family

You now have the time to spend with family because you’re all in the same space. So, why not make use of it by doing arts and crafts together? Children love doing art projects because it keeps them busy and it also benefits them mentally and emotionally.

You can organise projects for the entire family to complete like a mural wall in one of your rooms where everyone can contribute so you have something to remind you of your bonding time while on quarantine in your home.

The takeaway

We are all struggling in one way or the other due to this pandemic. But we should also remember that we are resilient human beings and that we can all come out of this better. For now, let’s focus on the good side of this situation and express ourselves through arts and crafts.

Sources:

Fast Company: Art matters more than ever during the COVID-19 crisis

The Conversation: The importance of art in the time of coronavirus

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash