Anxiety Art Therapy Activities: 15 Ways to Feel Calm Now for Artists & Adults
Anxiety art therapy activities are a fantastic way to reduce stress and anxiety. Anxiety is a part of being human & it’s natural. But we need to make sure it doesn’t consume and distract us from our daily routine. Stress and anxiety can affect us to the point where we might forget to focus on our internal well-being, the very thing that keeps us strong, optimistic, and prepared for the unexpected.
It is important we take time to ourselves and address the stress we feel. Even if it’s a long-term issue, relieving stress, even for a short period of time, can rejuvenate us & put us in a better mood. That is why I want to share with you 15 anxiety art therapy activities to help you feel calm now.
Anxiety Art Therapy Activities: 15 Ways to Feel Calm Now
1. SLOWLY DRAW LINES ACROSS A SHEET OF PAPER
This technique helps you practice line control. This is very simple & easy to do. This anxiety art therapy activity works your entire arm while bringing your mind into the present. It’s is a great way to relieve stress because you’re drawing it out. Making scratches or line marks also reduce feelings of anger due to the pressure and quick strokes being drawn.
Make sure to use your entire arm to draw, not just your wrist, as this helps prevent cramped wrists & risk of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Outbound Link). The lines don’t need to be straight or perfect! Focus on gliding your arm across the entire sheet of paper.
If you need a quick fix, try drawing the lines quickly. It reduces anxiety quicker and you’re not trying to make it perfect.
2. MIX COLORS TOGETHER
This can be any type of colored art medium.
Materials can be: paints, digital programs, pens, markers,etc.
Doing this exercise can act as a relaxant. Mixing colors together is relaxing, calming, & satisfying.
Mix different colors to make a new color. These new colors can then be used for color palettes, or color combinations for a future project or artwork.
3. DRAW CIRCLES
Use you entire arm (not just your wrist!) to draw circles on a sheet of paper. Try drawing circles that take up the entire piece of paper, as it exercises your entire arm and keeps you in motion — a critical element in keeping anxiety at bay. They don’t need to be perfect.
Drawing circles aren’t easy, so it really forces you to concentrate and focus on the present, taking your mind off anxious or stressful thoughts. When you do this, you’re giving your mind space to breath and slow down. And the circles don’t need to be perfect! As long as you’re moving your arm and staying in the present.
You can try drawing different sizes like shown below, to make it more interesting, have consistent focus, and to practice control and replication.
Fill up the entire page if you like or however much you need to!
4. DRAW NATURE
Nature is very relaxing because it is still, calm, & beautiful. These aspects make plants & natural formations quite soothing because there is a sense of carelessness & freedom to them. Try applying these states of being to your drawings & art.
When we see nature, it tends to soothe us. So drawing something still gives our minds a sense of stability and when we are in a stable mindset, we are more relaxed and in control of our emotions.
I drew a tree while I was in the park. Being in nature calms me down, especially parks because they are very quiet and have limited distractions. Not to mention the fresh air! I can concentrate while listening to the natural sounds around me, a technique of practicing mindfulness.
Try doing or taking these anxiety art therapy activities outside and see how you feel afterwards!
For more easy nature drawing tutorials, try checking out How to Start Drawing a Simple Tree Branch Freehand, How to Draw 7 Gorgeous Easy Pen Flower Doodles for Beginners, and How to Draw Clouds with Pen and Ink Easy!
5. DRAW SOMEONE or SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL HAPPY
When we are surrounded by the people & things we love, it instantly puts us in a better mood. We are more likely to be motivated in a positive way, and can even help our performance at work.
For example, I like video games, so sometimes I’ll draw my favorite character.
Below is a character from the video game Shin Megami Tensei 3 : Nocturne. I drew him because I really like his design and he’s one of my favorite characters from the game.
6. DRAW FROM MOVIES OR SHOWS YOU LIKE
Heroes and inspiration are always a fantastic way to start. Everyone loves a great story where the lead overcomes harsh challenges. It’s inspiring and gives us hope to move forward while shifting our minds to something positive. Having a sense of success from these stories can help heighten your mood, along with your favorite scene or character.
I drew one of my favorite characters below, from a TV show/anime because he reflects my personal values — nerdy, fan boying, and always giving his all to achieve great things even when he wasn’t born with talent. Being reminded of him always makes me smile and puts me in a better mood.
Try thinking of some characters that align with your personal values. Having someone you can relate to gives your mind a sense of morale and ease.
7. FREE DRAWING OR AUTOMATIC DRAWING
Let your hand take the lead. Don’t think about what you’re drawing or what you want to draw. Instead, move your hand freely across the paper or screen. Doing whatever your hand wants to do, loosens your muscles up & relaxes your mind.
8. CONTINUOUS DRAWING
Try drawing with 1 continuous line without lifting your writing tool from your drawing surface for 10–15 min, to start. Or if drawing digitally, don’t lift up your stylus. This forces you to be conscious of every mark you make. And ultimately, pulls you into the present moment. When you’re in the present, you’re not worrying about the past nor future. This is a key element when reducing and calming your anxiety.
Here are a few sketches I drew using 1 continuous line for each image. I went with the the flow on these and didn’t think about what I was drawing. I just let my hand guide me while not putting any pressure on myself to make something perfect. The less pressure you put on yourself, the clearer and more relaxed your mind is, which is what you want when you want to reduce your anxiety!
Focusing on the process, not the end result, gets you in a relaxed mindset quicker.
9. AIR DRAWING WITH YOUR ARMS
Use both of your arms to draw something in the air. Don’t limit it to your wrists. Doing this can help build muscle memory and drawing confidence. It will also loosen up your muscles and give you a bit of light exercise.
10. TRACING
Another one of the 15 simple art therapy activities that help reduce anxiety, is tracing. This is very simple and easy to do. Tracing doesn’t require mental work, allowing your mind to relax. Take a page out of a magazine, then take a drawing tool and just follow the lines of the objects. Focus on how your arm moves across the paper. Don’t focus on if it’s a good or bad drawing. The purpose is to relax & focus on something less stressful.
11. POSE ARTISTICALLY
Doing this takes out stress physically. Instead of focusing on the thoughts in your head, you’re now shifting your focus to your weight and pose. Feel free to stand in front of a mirror or not, and start posing your body. It can be as goofy, elegant, or stiff, as you like. Whatever makes you feel good about yourself in that moment.
12. COLORING
Color a drawing you made, some line work you found online, or a page from a coloring book. Try out new color palettes or blend a few colors together & make something new. Always feel free to color outside the lines!
13. MAKE A TEXTURE
Take a piece of paper (something to draw on) and place it over a texture preferably something flat and hard (like cardboard, a textured book cover, or mat). Then, take your drawing tool & glide it over the paper, back & forth. The texture will reveal itself on the paper. You can use the texture for your (digital) drawings, backgrounds, pattern, etc.
14. RANDOMIZE YOUR DRAWING TOOLS
If you have different types of art supplies, put the ones you use the least, in an opaque bag or case, then pull out 2–3 (or more if you wish). Those are the tools you’ll draw with. This allows you to step out of your comfort zone & forces you to go with the flow, without focusing too much on your idea. Have fun with it and don’t worry about making it look “good” or perfect. The goal here, is to experiment & experience something new. If digitally, choose 2–3 tools that you normally don’t use.
When we put ourselves in new situations, there’s no pressure and we are more calm because we’re not thinking ahead in the future, expecting anything. We’re just focusing on the present.
I like keeping lots of my art supplies in one pouch because I have a variety of mediums to choose from. I have things from markers, to pens, and ink. If I’m thinking too much about what I will draw in, I just reach into the pouch, grab something, and start drawing because it’s easier for me to focus on something I’m not expecting or familiar with, which subconsciously forces me to concentrate . Some of my favorite sketches are where I didn’t know what to draw and just started making marks on paper.
Try doing this with a random art or drawing tool.
15. FOLD PAPER, MAKE ORIGAMI
It is relaxing. Fold it however you want, no pressure. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Focusing or touching something physical helps you get out of your mind and focus on the present.
16. ARRANGE RANDOM OBJECTS ON PAPER OR A DESK
You can draw a still life or if the objects are on paper, just trace around the objects, no thinking involved. Focus and try memorizing the movements of your arm & drawing tool. You can even trace around the objects with your finger, following the shapes of the items. This helps with muscle memory and to get a better idea of the object. For example, focus on how the object feels, like little nuances like scrapes & edges.
Sometimes we just need a break from all the craziness going on in our lives. That’s okay because we deserve it.
If you’ve tried any of these art therapy activities, feel free to let me know in the comments below and how they made you feel.
See you in the next post!
More Helpful Art Therapy Resources and Drawing Guides:
- 10 Euphoric Art Therapy Prompts to Stop Racing Thoughts (Outbound Link) | Post
- 10 Soothing Drawing Art Inspiration Ideas to Help You Feel Calm Now (Outbound Link) | Post
- How to Start Drawing with No Art Experience (Outbound Link) | Post
- How to Draw Sun Designs in 40 Ways & Brighten Your Day (Outbound Link) | Post
- Free Stress Relief Cheat Sheet With Drawing Activities (Outbound Link) | Freebie
- 10 Effortless Art Inspiration Ideas for Drawing to Get You Started Now (Outbound Link) | Post
- Natural Stress Relief with Drawing for Beginners & 7 Rewarding Ways It Halts Stress (Outbound Link) | Post
- Mood-Boosting & Relaxing Printable Art (Outbound Link) | Store
*The article Anxiety Art Therapy Activities: 15 Ways to Feel Calm Now (Outbound Link) originally appeared on Drawism.com (links outside Medium) first.
