One thing that has helped me a lot with my mental health, especially throughout the pandemic, is having creative outlets where I can create things and express myself outside of any school responsibilities or deadlines.
For me, the experience of sitting down at a piano and playing whatever’s on my mind is cathartic. It allows me to express myself and release stress. Playing music lets my mind off of school and helps me stay calm. Music has been my main creative outlet, but it’s certainly not the only one, and many people find similar value in creating visual art, writing, dancing, building things with their hands, and countless other activities. The simple act of being creative can help to relieve stress and take your mind off of other things.
I think part of the value in these activities comes in creating something for the sake of creating. So often our main motivation is external, coming from due dates for coursework or co-op application deadlines. I think it’s important to engage in activities where your motivation is internal. When I make music, I’m not doing it for anyone else or because I have a deadline to meet, I’m doing it because it’s something I love doing. Exercising the creative side of your brain isn’t always a focus in STEM programs, and I think it’s really valuable to spend time being creative outside of class. I know school is busy, and it’s not easy to find time to dedicate to creative outlets, but it’s a valuable experience, and it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. Even spending 10 minutes making a quick drawing or singing a song or having a little dance party in your room can be a wonderful break from work and allow you to relax. I think over time, the benefits you get from letting your mind have a break from school to focus on being creative for creativity’s sake will far outweigh the 10 minutes of study time you sacrifice.
I find the act of being creative to be incredibly motivating. It gives me something to care about and work on outside of school, and it's really rewarding to spend time doing it. In general, I find that I'm happier on days where I spend time doing something creative than days that I don't, and being creative has been particularly helpful in the past year. Being able to get lost in a creative space has helped me to take my mind off of what's going on in the world around me for a few minutes. I've found being creative to be a great way to fill my time in a fun, rewarding way, to keep me busy, which has often helped me to cope with feelings of isolation.
Many creative outlets are great places to work through and release emotions, which can help you better understand your feelings and release some stress. Creative outlets can connect you to other people and to communities of like minded people. There are many communities of people online who share artwork and music together, and discuss the creative outlets they love. When restrictions allow, being creative with other people can be an incredibly valuable experience. Some of the moments in my life where I’ve felt most connected to the people around me have occurred when singing together with friends and playing music with other people. Collaborating on creative efforts with others can be a ton of fun and a great way to connect. Even when I play music alone, I often feel a sense of connection to the broader community of people who love and play music. Engaging in creative outlets alone often makes me feel less alone, because even in playing music by myself, I’m taking part in an activity which I share with a much larger group of people.
Whatever you do to be creative, remember to have fun with it! It's all about enjoying yourself and being creative for creativity's sake. Being creative always helps me relieve some stress, and I hope it might help you too!