Engaging in creative activities, such as art, keeps your mind sharp and may enhance the quality of your life, says Aarrti Zaveri

The benefits of exercise and a healthy diet are well-known, but engaging in creative activities, such as painting or drawing, keeps your mind sharp and may enhance the quality of your life. Here are some of the ways art can enhance physical and mental health.

l Promotes stress reduction: A mental health disorder is accompanied by anxiety or stress. The act of painting is an emotionally liberating act for the mind that allows it to relax and let go of all the difficulties that lead to a high level of stress.

In addition to stimulating the creative mind, those who paint something beautiful also facilitate the relief of mental tension. Reducing stress contributes to a happier, healthier lifestyle and improves mental health as a whole.

l Contributes to the expansion of creativity: Those with a right-brained artistic outlook are more natural at painting, but analytical left-brained individuals can stimulate and grow their creativity by practicing the art. Developing creative skills at your own pace helps you grow.

l Enhances memory: Art sharpens the intellect through conceptualisation and application, as well as helping to improve memory. As people age, they are less likely to suffer memory loss diseases if they get involved in creative pursuits such as writing, painting, and drawing.

l Supports emotional growth: The process of releasing emotions through the creation of art can be beneficial for many. By expressing feelings through their art, one also understands and can examine the variables that lead to mood swings. An artist can better grasp what emotions such as pleasure, sadness, love, or rage evoke by experimenting with diverse painting forms. Abstract expression is often the result of emotional healing through painting.

l Encourages a Positive Attitude:  Art provides a calm, creative atmosphere where anyone can develop their ideas and become more optimistic.

At any age, painting promotes mental health, and starting a new hobby is never too late. Artists may use their art to cultivate a positive attitude not just in themselves but in others too.

The writer is a visual artist