Arts and Health

Arts and health.  Now that’s an interesting subject.  How do they go together to help people reach their weight loss goals or even with overcoming food addiction? It’s not the sort of thing that you would normally think of. 

For most people, it never comes to mind that art could be used as a tool on your weight loss or addiction recovery journey. As it turns out, creating art is a powerful therapeutic agent that can be used in many ways… food addiction included.

I have over three decades of experience as a teaching artist. And I can tell you that I have seen firsthand, the amazing transformations people go through when they’re engaged in creative activities. So, I know that “magic” happens.

How about you?  Wouldn’t it be awesome to use artmaking to battle your food addiction or to help with your weight loss efforts?  Now, that’s thinking outside the box!  So, keep reading!

Why is it so tough to break free from food addiction or other unhealthy eating habits? When it comes to food, our lives can become awfully complicated.   That’s especially true when living in what we, or society, feels is the wrong body size… too big, too fat, not thin enough, too thin. It can be an emotional rollercoaster.  And those emotions can be difficult to articulate. But it’s very important that we do articulate them because being able to express ourselves leads to better self-understanding.

Communication Without Words

It’s often much easier to capture and reflect our deepest feelings, and to mirror them back to ourselves when we can visualize those feelings and insights. Letting go and making colorful marks with paint, pencils, or ink on paper or canvas can help with that. Art provides us with a different yet eloquent way to communicate without using words. It’s another channel to express emotions.  Let’s face it, it’s hard to put into words how awful we feel about ourselves when we’re not happy in our own bodies.

Using creative outlets helps us find personal meaning.  It encourages personal insight and growth. We begin to use our thoughts and ideas in new and transformative ways. We seem to make wonderful things happen by mashing up a little bit of art and a little bit of psychology.  Somehow, we seem to be better able to manage whatever life throws our way.

No Talent? No Problem!

So, what happens if you're not “artistic”?  Good news… you don’t need to have an art degree or to even have the smallest bit of talent to get health benefits from this activity. It’s not about making beautiful art and creating masterpieces. Not at all! It’s about expressing yourself fearlessly, spontaneously, and authentically.

Arts and health seem to go together hand in hand. Making art helps us express and transform our inner conflicts.  And that is what brings personal fulfilment and emotional growth. What you scribble on paper or how you splash paint on a canvas is for your own personal interpretation. It’s not for others to judge or interpret.  And in that, you will find freedom.

Being creative and making time for art is not just another hobby. It’s a very primitive and powerful human need. And that’s because it reaches us deep down inside… dare I say at a soul-level.  And that helps us overcome our fears and anxiety. It puts us in touch with the beauty that surrounds us.

It’s amazing how powerful art can be as part of a food addiction recovery program. it is said that being creative encourages self-acceptance, helps to resolve inner conflicts, and assists in dealing with urges and cravings.

The best part is that anyone can do it. You can be a total newbie or very experienced and still reap the benefits of being artsy. There is an artist inside all of us waiting to come out. And when the artist comes out, it’s a mighty beautiful thing!

A Quick Fix?

I don’t want to make it sound like making art and doodling are magic bullets that will solve all of life’s problems. That’s simply not true. There is no quick fix. But being creative is a very beneficial strategy that can help with weight loss goals and with sugar addiction recovery. How does it do that?  It offers ways to help you let go of worries by indulging in moments of joyous creation to allow you to slow down, breathe deeply and relax.

I encourage you to pick up a plain sketchbook and to play with markers, colored pencils and watercolors. There are no rules, no rights, and no wrongs. That’s total freedom.  Just take time out and make a few doodles. Color them in. Embellish them. Glue down some images from magazines. Write down a few of your favorite quotations. Just let yourself go… play!!

Got a craving? Stressed over an upcoming event where you have no control over the foods that will be served? Has someone made you feel bad, and you have an urge to cheat? Are the scales making you pull out your hair? These are all perfect times to grab your sketchbook and take a little time out to reflect and breathe deeply.  As I say to many of my clients, “What’s the worse that can happen?”

In the Works

I know this is important.  In fact, it’s so important I’m developing a program for arts and health which I will introduce this year (2024). It will be a live, guided program with activities and art techniques aimed at making your self-discovery and weight loss adventure more enlightening and fun. And I also intend to make it available as a video course for those who prefer to work on their own and at their own pace.

I am a very experienced art facilitator with well over 30 years experience. Combined with my coaching and counseling skills, this program is intended to bring you hours and hours of joy, relaxation, and fun. It will give you a new set of tools to help you on your recovery from food addiction and will provide you support in your time of need.

If you’d like to learn more about the power of arts and health, please contact me here or subscribe to my free newsletter, The Bridge by clicking or tapping here.  That way I will be able to keep you up to date on everything new and happening at No Sugar Coach.

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