For me, it's always been doodling, when I think, when I'm on the phone, when I'm sad or lonely. Making a Mark is something really fluid, people have done it since the beginning of time. It doesn't always have to be for anyone else — most often it's just for me. Sometimes I'll grab a pen and start doodling without even thinking. It helps me focus, almost like the movement of the pen quiets the rest of my brain. I slow down and look carefully, trying to really see what's in front of me—the shapes, the shadows, the way light touches something, the noises and smells. It becomes a kind of meditation, where you can concentrate on something to clear your mind and really notice the world around... Sketching can be messy, private, quick, not particularly artistically good. It's more about the process—about thinking through the pencil, if that makes sense.
Many recommendations by professionals for therapeutic outlets place additional burdens on us. Insisting that someone who is already busy, stressed, or emotional carve out an hour for a yoga class, half an hour for a candlelight bath, or even 10 minutes for a guided meditation can be doing even more harm than good. We all know we should be doing more to care for ourselves, and many of us know what those things should be. The problem is that we don't or can't. I find, therefore, it is important to make creative outlets fit naturally into our lives, without added pressure. By applying mindfulness techniques to a routine task, we can make space in our day to process emotions and reduce stress. My particular favorite is cooking. We need to eat, we often need to prepare food. So by approaching this task creatively and mindfully, we can create a small window of self-care. The process starts from meal planning—focusing yourself not just on convenience but on the joy and nourishment that food can give us. What foods speak to your soul? Bring up memories? Nourish your body? Get you excited? The process of cooking becomes meditative, as you wash, cut, prepare, and bring order from the chaos of your groceries. Lastly, eating is approached mindfully, focusing on the sights, smells, colors, and taste of the food you are eating. Mindful and creative cooking is one way in which I invest in myself, taking something that could be an everyday stressor and turning it into a moment of joy and reflection. By focusing on this task, I am investing in myself, nourishing my body, and giving my brain a space or ritual to help reduce stress.
For me, writing has been the most creatively therapeutic outlet, especially freeform, unedited reflections and inner dialogue fragments that arise in stillness. It isn't just a way of expressing emotion; it's a portal into presence itself. When I write, I'm not trying to create something, I'm listening, and expressing. There's an unspoken intelligence behind the words that emerges eventually, a silence that shapes the structure. Writing without judgment has helped me metabolise some really deep emotional states that used to remain stuck beneath the surface. Grief, confusion, overwhelm, and even awe, they all move differently when given shape in language that doesn't demand clarity, only truth. It's reduces stress not by escaping it, but by allowing it to speak, explore, investigate and understanding emerges, not always immedialetly, but eventually. And in that, I meet a deeper part of myself, one that needs nothing, controls nothing, and simply is.
I started learning how to decorate cookies with royal icing. It has been fun and freeing to be a complete beginner at something and not need to get feedback from anyone. I don't have a timeline on when my skill should approve, I don't have to check in with anyone on how I am doing, and I can just freely creative. There is no stress and it reminds me that creative freedom feels expansive and exciting. It's one area of my life that no one judges, has an opinion on, or needs to me show up a certain way.
One creative outlet that has been particularly therapeutic for my mental health is baking. From a psychological standpoint, baking provides a unique combination of structure and creativity that can be incredibly grounding. There's a certain comfort in knowing that you're following a recipe - step by step, with predictable outcomes. It eliminates decision fatigue, especially in a world that demands constant multitasking and ambiguity. At the same time, there's room for personalization - tweaking a flavor, adjusting a texture - and that mirrors the kind of flexibility we often need in life but struggle to find. What makes baking especially healing is the space it creates for emotional processing. It's one of the few times I'm not juggling screens, notifications, or competing thoughts. The act of focusing on something tactile, rhythmic, and goal-oriented gives the mind a chance to slow down. In that stillness, it becomes easier to tune in to how you're actually feeling. In fact, the dish you choose to make can often reflect your emotional state - whether it's something comforting, nostalgic, or experimental. In my clinical practice, I've often seen how activities like baking - where the hands are engaged and the mind is gently focused - can act as a form of mindfulness. It doesn't just distract from stress, it transforms it into something tangible and nourishing, both physically and emotionally.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder, CEO at Thrive Therapy Studio
Answered 3 months ago
This is a great question! Particularly in our fast paced world, it can be tricky for people to find time for creative pursuits. For me, as a busy entrepreneur, psychologist, and mom, it is also tricky! While I LOVE spending time doing creative things with my son such as painting, fuse beads, and lego building; the activity that keeps me the most grounded and relaxed is actually taking time each night to read a fiction book. While this might not seem creative, it is incredibly valuable for me to have an escape and some down time every day. Since I tend to be incredibly compassionate, reading longer series of character's stories also helps me process the emotions that come up during my professional and personal life. Hopefully this response can support other people who are not typically creative!
I've always loved writing poems. Putting pen to paper (or marker to whiteboard) and emptying out my thoughts in the form of words is so therapeutic for me. It helps give clarity and this little 'brain dump' helps to lighten the load. Painting or drawing can also be therapeutic but, for me, writing poetry is one of the best ways to process emotions. Once I write one poem, it's easy to write another, and another. It really helps let off steam - it's something I do just for me, no pressure, no rules, just an outlet to destress and empty my thoughts out on paper.
At age 7, I began developing an interest in studying sports statistics after I bought my first almanac through the school's book drive. At that time, I used notebooks to write and record statistics and create algorithms to determine which athlete was better in specific areas like passing, receiving, or rushing. Four years later, in 1990, my family bought a personal computer. From that moment, I began using it to compile and organize statistics in ways that let me compare athletes and teams. For example, I was eager to see if there was a link between specific stats and the greatness of athletes like Dan Marino, Joe Montana, or John Elway, or teams such as the 1972 Dolphins, the 1978 Steelers, or the 1985 Bears. Through the years, I've kept returning to creating various spreadsheets of athletes or teams in sports I enjoy, especially the NFL, MLB, PGA, NBA, and NHL. For example, when I'm overwhelmed at work, taking some time during the day to research a specific athlete or team and make a spreadsheet to gain insight relaxes me. It helps me refocus mentally, similar to how people use drawing or painting to escape the stresses of life. Over the past 40 years, I believe I have created several thousand spreadsheets on paper or using my various computers. I rarely revisit most of them after they are created. I usually save them in a file folder, but I don't make them for future reference. I design them to help me remember and guide me back to the thing I most enjoy, which is sports.
There are a lot of creative outlets that I have for processing emotions and reducing stress. Here are my top 3 - 1. Dance and Sing Along - A lot of times, our emotions can get stuck in our body without a proper way to voice them or get them moving. Whenever things get too chaotic, I put on my favorite playlist that has a song for the major emotions (anger, happiness, sadness), and then I sing and dance along to it. It makes it easier to process the emotions, but also tires out the body by the end of it all, and helps me rest a bit easier. 2. Drawing - Whenever I am feeling too overworked and overwhelmed, I grab a piece of paper and a pen and essentially scribble and doodle throughout the paper without lifting my pen up. Just go all out. When I am done (and it feels like a lot of my frustration is out), I then spend time coloring the shapes or putting in patterns and designs, which really helps me ground and relax myself. 3. Journaling - Braindumping and venting in a journal usually helps me get my emotions out. It usually starts out slow, but with time, the words start flowing out better and faster. It helps me start out by sharing my feelings, and eventually explore the situation, the problem, and the solution/s that will help me solve it. Hope this helps!
One creative outlet that's been unexpectedly therapeutic for me is photography. I don't have a fancy camera (yet)—right now, it's just me and my phone—but even with that, it's become something I genuinely look forward to. It helps balance out my super analytical, detail-loving brain, which is great for my work life but can sometimes go into overdrive if I'm not careful. Photography gives me permission to step away from being constantly in planning or problem-solving mode. It's helped me tap into the creative part of myself that doesn't always get much airtime. When I'm taking photos—even if it's just of a shadow on a sidewalk or light hitting the side of a barn—I'm not trying to optimize or control the outcome. I'm just noticing. Just being. And that's rare for me. I've made it a personal goal to one day show one of my photos at the Iowa State Fair photography exhibit. So far, I'm zero for two years trying (yep, got the polite rejection cards to prove it!), but I'm determined. I know I need to invest in a real camera if I want to level up, and that's officially next on my list. I've already been researching what to get—it feels like the next natural step in this little creative journey I didn't expect to love so much. What photography has really taught me, though, is how to slow down and see the world differently. It's helped me manage stress, process emotions, and shift my focus—literally and figuratively—away from what's not working toward what's quietly beautiful and often overlooked. It's my way of reconnecting with joy, even on the busiest or most overwhelming days. And hey, here's hoping next year's Fair is the one where I finally see my photo hanging up on that wall!
Reading fiction, especially works by diverse voices, has been my most profound creative outlet for mental wellness. It transcends mere escapism, acting as active emotional therapy in these key ways: Deep Empathy & Perspective Expansion Immersing myself in characters from vastly different backgrounds forces me outside my own cognitive biases. Walking in another's skin, even fictionally, dissolves judgment and fosters radical understanding. Reading about struggles with systemic injustice, cultural displacement, or unique neurodiversities expands my emotional vocabulary far beyond my personal lived experience. This builds cognitive flexibility, reducing rigid thinking that fuels stress. Validated Emotional Processing Seeing complex emotions articulated with nuance on the page is profoundly validating. When a character expresses something I can't name, it's like an emotional mirror. This normalizes my own hidden emotions and reduces shame, making them less overwhelming to process. Safe Containment for Difficult Feelings Engaging with intense themes through a fictional lens provides crucial psychological distance. It's a safe container to explore darkness, fear, or anger without the direct personal threat. Following a character's journey through hardship and resilience offers a roadmap, subconsciously teaching coping mechanisms and fostering hope that challenges can be navigated. Why diverse voices are crucial Homogeneous stories offer limited emotional and cognitive templates. Diverse fiction shatters these limitations. It confronts implicit biases, challenges worldview bubbles, and provides therapeutic validation specifically for experiences often ignored. The emotional processing isn't generic; it's deeply resonant and broadening. The stress reduction comes not just from escape, but from feeling seen, understood, and connected to a richer, more complex world. In essence, reading diverse fiction is empathy training, emotional vocabulary building, perspective-shifting therapy, and mindful escape, all wrapped in a portable, accessible package. It doesn't erase stress or difficult emotions; it equips me with a broader understanding, deeper compassion (for myself and others), and a powerful sense of connection to navigate them.
Journaling has been a profoundly therapeutic creative outlet for my mental health. It serves as a safe space to untangle complex emotions and reduce stress. By putting pen to paper, I can externalize my thoughts, whether they're swirling anxieties or moments of joy, which helps me process them with clarity and perspective. This practice acts like a mental release valve, calming my mind by organizing chaotic feelings into coherent narratives. Over time, journaling has not only helped me identify patterns in my emotional triggers but also fostered a sense of self-compassion, as I reflect on my experiences without judgment. Pick up a journal that you would enjoy writing in - for me, it's a Christian journal for women with scripture.
Resident in Counseling at Virginia Therapy Services for Men in their 20s & 30s
Answered 3 months ago
Taking a Shakespeare acting class gave me permission to feel all of my emotions deeply. We often suppress emotions to stay in control. But in acting, expressing anger, grief, or joy isn't just allowed, it's necessary and provides a great emotional release If you choose my quote, please backlink my name to my website https://www.virginiatherapyservicesforyoungmen.com
Writing fictional stories and poetry have always being my personal outlet. As a person that don't enjoy very much sharing my personal stuff with others I find an escape in reading and writing. When I write I feel in control of the universe I'm creating and I don't feel judged which definitely reduce my stress levels and helps me looking at some situations in perspective. I highly recommend this practice.
Taking short helicopter flights at 1,000 feet above Mexico City became my new therapeutic space. What began as a mere reconnaissance and flight for new aerial tour routes turned into my escape from the mental gymnastics of entrepreneurial obligations and ongoing responsibilities. I love running Mexico-City-Private-Driver.com, it is the most satisfying hard work imaginable, but it is a lot of hard work. Scheduling, logistics, customer stipulations, everything is time consuming and I was not able to get my head out of it to breathe. I needed a place to breathe and it ended up being the cockpit of the helicopter. I started to go up to fly by myself once a month - no passengers, no purpose - just a loop above the cities skyline, leisurely flight around the city. That 30 minute flight turned into my reset button. Up there, you are free from the chaos on the ground. You can see the scale of Chapultepec, the ordered density of Polanco, and watch the sun rise over the Angel of Independence. The problems feel diminished. Your thoughts become clearer. Flying did more than relieve stress, it gave me a different lens to see through. I even began writing in my journal immediately after each flight, and part of that habit gave me a platform for emotional translation into our business decisions. The day we decided to redesign our booking experience from a complete lack of transparency to transparency, was the day after one of those flights when it had hit me that peace of mind shouldn't start once a rider is in the car and we start to go - it should start the moment they book. This creative outlet, which is also ironically nonverbal and only in the sky, gave me an emotional ground base. It reminded me how important it is, to keep perspective, 1,000 feet above or if it is simply enjoying a quiet moment is equally important in business and life.
One creative outlet that's been really therapeutic for my mental health, and one that I would swear by for its calming effect on my nerves for years now, is junk journaling. Taking time to write down my thoughts helps me make sense of them more...no rules or prompts, just pure word vomit on pages I know would keep them safe with the added bonus of random keepsakes between the pages to mark ideas or moments I wanted to remember. Journaling has given me an avenue to just let my emotions and ideas, that would've otherwise remained jumbled in my head, be written down in a quiet space where I would have more physical control to better understand them. This kept me from becoming overwhelmed or for monitoring progress, no matter how minor or tedious they can become. By getting thoughts on paper, I felt as though I'd finally developed an avenue for my brain to breathe. It's a simple habit, but it helps keep me centered, particularly during times when I feel high-stress in other parts of my life.
For me, it's travel, cruise style. There's nothing more therapeutic than those quiet coffee mornings on the Lido deck, watching the ocean do its thing while I let my mind finally be still. No alarms, no client calls, no deadlines just me, the sea, and whatever that day brings. In the evenings, I'll grab a glass of wine, head to the spa deck, and sink into a lounger as the sun sets. That's my reset. I don't journal. I don't plan. I don't overthink. I just exist in that moment and that alone is healing. I chose cruising because you literally disconnect from your world. No one can stop by, no one expects anything from you, and it's one of the only places left where you can intentionally not have WiFi. No scrolling, no notifications just peace. That stillness is where I find clarity, rest, and a whole lot of gratitude.
Hello, I'm Dr. Anadu, a medical doctor. I'm not a great artist but drawing on my iPad has been a great way to help my mental health. I draw parks and outdoor places especially when I'm too busy to go outside. When I sketch trees, benches, or sunny fields, it feels like I'm there, and it relaxes me a lot. Drawing helps me let off some steam from the busy work schedule, when I feel upset I use bright colors to draw and its effect is surprising. On days when I don't feel like drawing, I have a Rubik's cube in my office and I just try to play around it to ease off stress. Watching movies don't cut it for me and I think you respond better when physical activity is involved and my drawings and Rubik's cube are just enough for me.
I use journaling as a creative outlet, it's simple, accessible, and doesn't require much effort. All I need is a pen and paper, which is why it's one of the most common recommendations I give my patients. It helps me process emotions, organize my thoughts, and relieve stress. I typically write about daily experiences, future goals, gratitude lists, and even add doodles sometimes. It's a flexible tool that adapts to whatever I or my clients need in the moment.