Creative Healing: Art, Play, Writing, and Laughter

Key takeaways

• 9 Reasons to Play

• Discover Healing Through Art

• Changing Your Mood and Life By Writing

• Start the Year Off Right

• Sometimes The Best Therapy Is A Good Laugh

• Changing your Mood and Life-By Writing.

9 Reasons to Play

When was the last time you actually played? You know, the kind of play we did as children–running, jumping, loudly singing, swinging our arms, using our imaginations to make up silly games. That kind of play. We used to spend countless hours losing ourselves in playtime and our parents often had to remind us to eat, bathe and sleep.

Play doesn’t only give parents welcome relief, it provides important life lessons and helps children develop. But somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many of us stop playing. Instead, our leisure time is often spent in front of the TV or the computer. A 2009 article in U.S. News and World Report by Nancy Shute outlined nine reasons to incorporate play into our adult lives.

Discover Healing Through Art

Art is its own language with a host of interpretations and methods of expression. And as it turns out, creativity — in any form — can boost well-being. This month, MHCS team wanted to highlight how creativity promotes wellness and point out ways in which you can discover healing through art.

One of the greatest things about art is that it’s subjective. What qualifies as art to one person may not seem artistic to someone else — but it only has to matter to that one person. Art is personal. It’s self-expression, and there is no right or wrong with this method of communication.

Changing Your Mood and Life By Writing

Last year, an article in the Star Tribune on January 19th caught my eye. As someone who has long kept personal diaries, I often wondered if the negative beliefs I had written about myself over those agonizing junior and high school years could have been rewritten to more satisfying conclusions about myself. Those diaries were pretty consistently heart wrenching in the negative themes about my body and my accomplishments. I still write in my journal but I notice that the entries are much more optimistic. Maybe it has to do with my work as a therapist but also the wisdom I have learned and try to teach my clients about changing negative tapes.

Tara Parker-Hope had written an article for The New York Times reprinted in the Star Tribune, “Writing your Way to Happiness.” She cites studies which point out the effectiveness of rewriting our personal narrative to form a different conclusion.

Start the Year Off Right

With the wind-down of the holiday season and the “new year, new me” resolutions flowing like electrical currents, the start of 2024 naturally seems like a joyous time. But then that holiday high wears off, routines pick up where they left off, and the winter doldrum blankets everything with relentless tenacity. If it feels like the new year is off to a “meh” start, your friends at MHCS are here to help. Keep reading as we offer tips to help you manifest happiness and start the year off right.

The world sometimes seems like it’s in a big hurry, and that’s especially true toward the end of each year. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, last-minute shopping, cooking, baking, and hosting, the days and weeks are a whirlwind of activity and excitement. But all of that in such a short period of time can be overwhelming.

Sometimes The Best Therapy Is A Good Laugh

I was in our office last Saturday and Michelle, one of our therapists, was seeing a client. There was no other activity in the clinic. Otis and I were “working” on catching up on some paperwork. Though the sound machine was on and our music was playing in the lobby. I could hear the distinctive sound of laughter coming from Michelle’s office. Not just mild, amusing laughter, but outright belly laughing. My immediate thought was “That doesn’t sound like therapy”. After the client left Michelle and I had a chance to talk.

She asked me if I could hear how fast her client talked. I told her that what I noticed was the laughter. What Michelle was teaching her client was the elements of belly breathing by lying on the floor with something on their stomachs. It felt good to the client so she started laughing and laughing and laughing. What I remembered in that instant is that laughter can be the best therapy. So find a reason to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Changing your Mood and Life-By Writing

An article I had seen in the Star Tribune this winter had caught my eye. As someone who has long kept personal diaries, I often wondered if the negative beliefs I had written about myself those agonizing years in junior and senior high could have been written to more satisfying conclusions about myself. Those diaries were consistently heart wrenching in negative themes about my body and accomplishments.

Tara Parker- Hope wrote an article for the The New York Times reprinted in the Star Trib, “Writing your Way to Happiness.” She cites studies which point out the effectiveness of rewriting our personal narrative to form a different conclusion.

When to reach out

If symptoms are affecting relationships, work, school, sleep, or daily routines, professional support can help you sort through what is happening and choose a realistic next step.

MHCS provides therapy and mental health support for individuals, couples, families, teens, and adults.