{"id":18913,"date":"2026-02-12T19:53:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T19:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?p=18913"},"modified":"2026-02-18T02:19:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T02:19:46","slug":"how-art-helps-us-in-tough-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/how-art-helps-us-in-tough-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Art Rx:\u00a0How Creativity Helps Us in Tough Times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Art doesn\u2019t just move us. It heals us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engaging with music can reduce cortisol levels and even physical pain; it\u2019s known to improve mood and attention retention. Dancing can relieve stress-induced muscle tension (more of that, please!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participating in the arts at large can lessen post-trauma hyperarousal, as well as depression, anxiety, grief, and agitation. And the arts are proven to increase resilience, pleasure, emotional regulation, hopefulness, and a sense of personal and cultural identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all according to a 2019 World Health Organization report<\/a>. It synthesized hundreds of studies to ask: What evidence shows art improves our health and wellbeing?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cActivities such as making and listening to music, dancing, art, and visiting cultural sites are all associated with stress management and prevention, including lower levels of biological stress in daily life and lower daily anxiety,\u201d the report states. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt festers inside of you. So like getting it out and having a place to put it, I think that\u2019s also kind of the power of art\u2014is like moving through those emotions as opposed to staying stuck in it. And it\u2019s not going to immediately solve it. But that\u2019s how we all move collectively together.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n ART THERAPIST CARA WELLVANG ON TRAUMA AND LOSS<\/cite>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n