NCM: Can Creativity Support Physical & Mental Health?
Read Part 1 of my National Creativity Month blog series: What If I Don’t Feel Like A Creative?
Dear friends,
A surprising fact:
“Creative expression not only benefits our mood but our physical body as well. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine demonstrated how creative writing has been a shown to boost the immune system for people with HIV. In other words, creative expression doesn’t just make you feel better, it also creates real, physical changes in your body.”
Excerpt from my recent book Enough Drugs! I Am A Woman And Can Heal Naturally — a practical guide to feeling your best.
Studies indicate that creative self-expression and exposure to the arts have wide-ranging effects on both cognitive and psycho-social health, but also physical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, various forms of dementia and cancer.
One of the most compelling studies was recently conducted by the Mayo Clinic and concluded that people who engage in art activities (painting, drawing, sculpting, woodworking, pottery, ceramics, quilting, and sewing) in middle and old age may delay cognitive decline in very old age. These findings support the idea that it is possible to build a “cognitive reserve” through engaging in novel, creative experiences that have a protective effect on the brain.
“All of us, professional and amateur, share an impulse to create. Break free from the straight-jacket of creating art only if it makes money. There’s validity to art, even if we never exhibit our work or win awards. Creativity is an essential part of what it is to be alive.
Let creativity serve as a pathway to discover what inspires and brings you joy!”
Excerpt from my recent book Enough Drugs! I Am A Woman And Can Heal Naturally — a practical guide to feeling your best.
Learn more about using creativity to drive physical and mental clarity by RSVPing to my Blue Moon Book Celebration Jan 31st at CentreSpring MD and check out more about National Creativity Month.
