HOW ART COULD BE OF HELP DURING THE SELF ISOLATION
It’s a time of insurmountable tension with lots of cases being reported over the world. The Coronavirus (COVID -19) is now being the most popular word in the place where we live. At least by now, some of you have a little clew of where it came from but no one is aware of when it will leave and its negative effects. When such times come, no one of us is prepared and even those who seem to exhibit some characteristics of preparedness are also hit un-aware. With a lot of false information about it being spread like wildfire all over the Internet has resulted in unhealthy pressure amongst the people and for children, fear has become a centerpiece of their entire reactions to this situation – coming along with too much psychological pressure such as stress. As measures to minimize the spread of corona pandemic, is self-quarantine / medical quarantine, and isolation in general, which is the long run, is associated with serious mental health effects.
A recent review of research, published in The Lancet, found that quarantine is linked with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, confusion, and anger, with some research suggesting these effects are long-lasting. Given that the coronavirus crisis is likely to be with us for some time, the mental health implications can’t be dismissed. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress is currently the world’s most pronounced health risk [1]. As a consequence of quarantine, stress is likely to develop at the initial stages and throughout. Therefore the inability to cope with stress is a risk factor for various epidemiologically significant illnesses: cardiovascular, muscular or skeletal diseases, depression or anxiety disorders [3]. In this unsettling time, it is fundamental to help children build a more resilient mindset to enable them to better respond in such a moment. That’s why we encourage them to engage in creative oriented exercises or full hands-on things. In our case, we would suggest art in any form such as painting, drawing, sculpting, writing, and collage among others. What is art? Why is it anyway important? Do I need to be an artist to make art? NO
In such a time, swallowing ”a chill pill” might not work but be creative with your self would. Art as a practice of creating things has proved to be a great means to recover one’s mental state and also overcome psychosocial pressure. In a time like this, getting your mind to focus on something tangible is important and it will help you or your children cope up with such a time, which will, in the end, enable them to grow their creative level as well as see the progress with what they are doing. With the different measures, Governments have put up in place to protect their people, quarantine seems to be the most mentioned while not forgetting the social distancing, washing your hands plus being clean at all times. The word quarantine sounds nice if you are looking it up in the dictionary but not an interesting one to live in since we are too much of social beings but then, we at the same time, like to live so we can take the extreme measure to get yourself safe. The first time will not be an easy one, but with time, we will cope up. A change in your routine and also replacing some daily activities with new ones is the position we need to take. Working remotely and also following updates not only from the famous news stations about where are the negatives and positive but also the times to follow up on our friends and relatives.
Therefore engaging yourself or children into an art-related exercise will help you achieve the following:
Boost mental health. On average a person has about 60,000 thoughts in a day. By engaging yourself in the arts, will enable you to focus your mind based on its calming effect on the brain and the body. Its health benefits are equivalent to yoga and meditation.
Stimulate your immune system. Studies show shows that people who write or draw about their own experiences daily actually have stronger immune system functions. Although experts are still unsure how it works, writing increases your CD4+ lymphocyte count, the key to your immune system.
Reduces dementia. About dementia – is a group of thinking and social symptoms that interferes with daily functioning? Not a specific disease, dementia is a group of conditions characterized by impairment of at least two brain functions, such as memory loss and judgment.
Symptoms include forgetfulness, limited social skills and thinking abilities so impaired that it interferes with daily functioning. In such a time like this with extensive Corona conversations, people are tending to be judgmental.
Art goes beyond just making you happy… It’s also an effective treatment for people with dementia. Studies show that creative engagement not only reduces depression and isolation but can also help people with dementia tap back into their personalities and sharpen their senses.
For starters, we have prepared for you the task below and we hope it will be helpful.
