More Creative Ways to Manage Sadness and Anxiety

On Tuesday, in this post, I shared seven ways we can navigate sadness and anxiety from Lee Crutchley’s new book How to Be Happy (Or at Least Less Sad): A Creative Workbook. Today, I’m sharing other
ways we can use creativity to channel painful experiences and emotions. Because we gain a sense of calm and purpose when we use our hands. Because in creating we can move our pain from our bodies into something tangible — a sketchbook or canvas or simply out into the air, into the wind.

• Write a playful or funny poem about your worries. Read Shel Silverstein’s poem “Whatif” for inspiration. Maybe worries are knocking at your door: “Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” …. Maybe they’re throwing a dance party on your head. Maybe you focus on a particularly worrisome worry, and make light (or fun) of it. Maybe you shine a big spotlight on that worry. And it turns out it’s nothing but a small something (with a bark a whole lot bigger than its bite).
• Draw what your sadness looks like.
• Buy some crayons and a coloring book for kids (at the Dollar Store, for instance) or for adults (like this one or this one). And give yourself at least 10 minutes to play.
• Use crayons or colored pencils to illustrate the color or colors of your sadness.
• Sketch your anxiety as a monster. Big. Burly. Hairy. Scary. Then reveal that monster to be just as scared as you are, like in this poem (one of my favorites).
• Draw a mandala.
• Shake out your anxiety by dancing to your favorite songs.
• Write a story from the perspective of your sadness or anxiety.
• Create a collage of everything that puts a smile on your face.
• Use Play-Doh to mold different shapes.
• Use paint to express your emotion. Even just the repetitive motion of moving the brush from side to side on the page can feel soothing.
• Take a walk, and challenge yourself to find three things that astound or inspire you. Take photos of all three (or more!). Take a picture of the bright blue, cloudless sky. Take a picture of the tulips in the park. Take a picture of the sunset. Take a picture of the delicious treats in the window of a bakery. Take a picture of the vibrant fruit stand. Take a picture of your feet in the grass (what it takes for our bodies to walk is pretty astounding).
• Visit a museum. Bring your notebook or journal. Jot down how each piece you look at makes you feel, and why.
• Or simply visit a museum, and leave with a postcard or print of your favorite piece.
• Make a list of all the reasons you’re sad or anxious. Create different solutions for each one. These could be realistic, feasible solutions and super silly, highly implausible solutions. For instance, if you’re sad because you’re lonely, include calling your best friend to catch up and sending a note to someone who also needs support. Include making friends with the alien next door, or going to Mars for a vacation.

If you’d like, set a timer for 10 minutes and brainstorm three additional ways you can connect to your creativity. Ways that sound fun or calming or energizing. Do one of these today — even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Sitting with painful emotions is key to our well-being. It’s important to observe, acknowledge and accept our feelings. Then it can help to transform our emotions into fuel for making a mess. Because creativity is one way we can make sense of our experiences. It’s one way we can play, and laugh, and take it easy. It’s one path we can take to walk through.