As the temperature continues to rise, many of our residents are looking forward to sunny days outside. After a long winter filled with many unknowns, spring is looking better than ever. The pandemic has had a major impact on all of our lives. Stress and anxiety rates are higher than they’ve ever been. According to the KFF, about 4 in 10 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. It’s proven that tapping into your creative side boosts your mood.
“I like/liked to bake and be creative by mixing the recipe up a bit to see what I can come up with”- Mary D
Therapeutic Outlet
As your loved one grows older, they sometimes lose the ability to communicate effectively. It also becomes harder for them to engage in the activities that they once brought them so much joy. They can easily become frustrated which can contribute to a poor quality of life. Helping your loved one tap into their creative mindset can help them express themselves. Engaging in creative arts can allow them to communicate more effectively and become a form of therapy for them. Creating art by painting, molding and crafting gives your loved one a sense of purpose. The purpose becomes amplified if they are already experiencing loss of ability in other areas. No matter how old you are, creativity is a way to express your experiences and feelings.
How to Boost Your Creativity
Whether you want to believe it or not, you’re more creative than you think. Everyone has their own strengths but if you pick out one specific strength to work on, you will excel in that area. If you pay more attention to being creative, you’ll find yourself incorporating it into your life more.
Being creative isn’t just about drawing and painting, but instead…
- Spending more time outside can tap into your five senses
- Getting back into an old hobby
- Starting a new hobby
- Playing around with art supplies
- Keeping a journal
- Handwriting stories or poems
- Visiting museums, concerts, theatres and galleries
- Dictionary game: Find words and write about what it makes you think of
- Listening to music
- Exercising your eyes (it boosts creative thinking”
- Taking photos
Being Creative at Woodstone
At Woodstone, we believe that it is very important that your loved ones have daily opportunities to engage in the arts. We incorporate many activities from painting to even gardening! Feeling your body and mind age can be very frustrating for your loved one. Engaging in any creative art can become an outlet for creating positive endorphins. Being creative helps us acknowledge our differences and similarities between each other. Creativity has no rules which means you can’t “fail” even if you try. If you incorporate creative thinking into your life, you’ll find that you will be happier, healthier, and truly enriched.
Best,
Danielle Morrow
Marketing Specialist