Art therapy activities for relaxation will help you change the mood from stressed and hectic to calm and relaxed.
Knowing how to de-stress and relax is an essential skill for a healthy life. These art activities are excellent relaxation therapy.
With life being so hectic and unpredictable, you constantly find yourself stressed and burned out. Art therapy activities are a healthy and efficient way to release stress and regain control over your emotions. Remaining calm despite life’s troubles will allow you to see the big picture and find creative solutions to your problems.
Art Therapy Activities for Relaxation
Meditative painting
Combine the relaxing powers of meditation and creation with meditative painting. This way of painting is very calming and therapeutic. If you’re having trouble relaxing while meditating, then this type of art therapy activity might help you. Repetitive movements will help you to focus on the present moment and bring about calmness.
You will need:
- Thick paper (A4 or bigger)
- Gouache paint set
- Set of brushes (use a variety of brush sizes)
- Paper plate (for paint) and two cups (filled with water for cleaning brushes)
Find a calm place where you can spend some time undisturbed. And prepare paper, brushes, plates, and cups with water. Choose at least two colors that you will use. Pick only the ones that evoke positive emotions in you.
When you have everything ready, focus your attention only on the paper and colors you’ve chosen. Start by painting repetitive patterns like straight lines, zig-zag lines, waves, spirals, or curls.
Paint until you completely cover the paper, then move on to the second layer. Use a contrasting color or a different shade of the same color, and choose a different pattern. Change the speed of painting and thickness of the brush. Find colors and patterns that relax you the most. That is the point of layers: discovering what works for you at that moment.
Don’t think about aesthetics; your goal is not to create art, it is to relax. Once you’re finished, if you don’t like how it looks, you can throw away the painting; it has done its purpose.
Finger painting
Finger painting was one of my favorite art activities as a child. It’s captivating and relaxing. Gliding with fingers across the paper with no direction or purpose, but to play and explore. Leaving the colored trail behind. Feeling the texture of a paper through liquid paint. All of this makes finger painting a great art therapy activity.
You will need:
From the paint set, choose only the colors that have a calming effect on you. Remember that your goal is the process itself, not the finished product.
Bring your attention to the fingertips. Take notice of the texture of the paper and how the paint feels on your fingers.
Move across the paper in every direction, use all fingers at once or just one or a few. Use both hands at the same time. Repetitive movements in the rhythm of your heartbeat will relax you and align your body and mind in a similar way as meditative breathing. Drawing the infinity symbol and retracing it over and over again can be very soothing.
Draw your happy place
Drawing your happy place is a beautiful meditative art therapy activity that will not only relax you but also make you happy. While drawing, you will be imagining and intensely thinking about something positive. We too often get caught up in a stream of negative thinking, so this activity is a great way to break up that stream.
Draw or paint in whichever medium you are most comfortable with, and choose your favorite colors. Your favorite place doesn’t have to be just a physical place. It can also be an activity or a thing. Whatever makes you feel peaceful, relaxed, and happy, draw it.
Create a mandala
Drawing and coloring a mandala activates both the left and the right side of the brain. This activity induces balance in the brain.
Some studies have shown that creating a mandala has a similar effect as that of meditation. It calms your mind and focuses your attention to the present moment. Circular patterns and repetitive shapes of the mandala bring a feeling of balance and have therapeutic effects on the mind.
To help you start, I found a detailed guide on how to draw a mandala.
Create a calmness collage
Looking at and working with tranquil images will calm your mind and bring you into a relaxed state. You will find this art therapy activity peaceful and inspiring.
You will need:
- A large piece of paper, it can be white or in your favorite pastel color.
- Scissors and glue
- Gel pens
- An assortment of magazines with lots of calming images, like travel, nature, and spirituality magazines. Alternatively, you can find images on the web and print them out.
Creation of a calmness collage is a meditative activity that starts with browsing through serene pictures and looking for those that hit the spot.
The next step is cutting. I like to pick one shape (e.g., oval) and then cut all the pictures in that same shape, just different sizes.
When all the pictures are ready, start gluing them on the large paper you prepared.
Lastly, if you feel like it, you can write quotes or words in between the pictures to complete your calmness collage.
It’s a good idea to keep your calmness collage near the bed to look at it before sleep.
Softness project
This is an activity borrowed from kindergartners. Lots of art projects for kids are developed with the aim of strengthening their attention and focus. Both of which are important for staying in the present moment and being able to relax intentionally. Softness projects are particularly beneficial because they involve soft materials that make you feel cozy and safe.
You will need:
- A piece of cardboard or fabric to use as a base.
- Variety of soft materials like sponges, pom-poms, cotton balls, faux fur details, feathers…
- Hot glue gun
Create soft art by gluing soft materials to the base. You can do it randomly, focusing only on the softness of objects, or you can be creative and arrange objects in different patterns and shapes. Allow the soft materials to relax you and bring you calmness.
Color in
Coloring inside lines gives your brain much-needed relaxation. It’s been shown that coloring reduces restless thoughts and calms the mind. It’s easy and effortless.
Sometimes it can be really hard after a long and exhausting day to prepare and start an art activity, but coloring requires no preparation.
All you need is a design and colored pencils to start unwinding. There are plenty of free designs for coloring that are available to download and print.
Have a cup of hot, calming tea to enhance the experience.
Relax with the playdough
Mold your way to a more relaxed state. Oftentimes, life can feel like it’s out of our hands, and that causes stress. Manipulating the dough gives a sense of control, while keeping hands busy allows the brain to relax.
Take scented playdough and try to make simple shapes or objects. Take deep breaths and allow scents coming from the playdough to calm you.
Here you will find a recipe for the playdough with suggestions for relaxing oil blends.
Paint to the music
Calming music in combination with movement and creation is a powerful relaxant. Painting paired with calming music is a wonderful art therapy activity for relaxation.
Play some calming music while drawing or painting, and let the music lead your hand. Close your eyes and allow your other senses to take charge. Express yourself freely and release the stress and tension that’s been holding you back.
MORE RELAXING ACTIVITIES:
If you find that your mind is still racing after trying one of these exercises, you might need a more rhythmic approach, like hypnotic art therapy activities for deep relaxation, or breathwork art activities where drawing is guided by inhales and exhales.
Hope you found this post helpful, and the activities provided will help you manage your stress in a healthy way.
