Using Creativity to Build Self-Esteem
Creativity can help you to build self-esteem, improve your mental health and boost your wellbeing. There are many ways that you can be creative and it doesn’t matter what you do. For example, it can be anything from writing, art, design, playing music, cooking, scrapbooking, pottery, cake decorating, knitting, sewing, woodworking, photography, gardening or dancing. Here are some reasons why it’s worth trying creativity to build self-esteem.
How Creativity Helps to Build Self-Esteem
- It’s a way of self-expression. Unexpressed thoughts and feelings can be very damaging and it’s important to let them out in a healthy way. As well as allowing you to express your thoughts and feelings, creativity can help you to make sense of them and it can help put things in perspective.
- It gives you something to focus on. Creativity can help take the focus away from destructive negative thoughts. It is a healthy way of channelling negative energy into something positive.
- It teaches you to focus on the process. Creativity can teach you to be mindful and immersed in the present moment.
- It gives you purpose and meaning. Creativity gives you something meaningful to do.
- It can be enjoyable. Doing something enjoyable gives you good feelings which help you feel better about yourself.
- You can learn something new. Creativity is an opportunity for learning and that can help you to build confidence. For example, learning to draw or playing a musical instrument.
- It can give you a sense of accomplishment. Accomplishment can come from the process of doing or learning and it’s not necessarily about the end result. As a bonus, you may feel a sense of accomplishment when you create something.
- It can be a way of connecting with other people. Doing something that you enjoy is an opportunity to connect and make friends with like minded people.
- It is therapeutic. The benefits of creativity are recognised. There is widespread use of creativity as therapy, for example, art therapy and music therapy.
Using Creativity to Build Self-Esteem - Where to Begin
If you’re not sure where to begin, look for something that you might enjoy or benefit from. You can be creative either on your own or in a group and there are many options. Be prepared to try out different things until you find something that works for you.
It’s important give yourself permission to create without self-judgement, and stop criticising what you do. Creating without being self-critical might take some getting used to but the benefits are worth it. It really doesn’t matter how good you are at something. Being creative is good for your wellbeing and that’s what matters. Learn to free yourself of your inhibitions, and give yourself permission to be yourself.
Creativity has personally worked well for me and I highly recommend it. I encourage you to try creativity to build self-esteem.
How Creativity Can Help Build Self-Esteem
In this self-esteem video, I talk about creativity and how it can help you to build self-esteem.
You can find Fay Agathangelou on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and her website.
APA Reference
Agathangelou, F.
(2015, November 10). Using Creativity to Build Self-Esteem, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, November 5 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2015/11/creativity-to-build-self-esteem
Author: Fay Agathangelou
I believe that I don't have a creative bone in my body. I've squelched it out. I used to play piano (by ear) for a gospel choir. When I left the job where I played for and with the group, I never played again. I sold my piano several years later to have money for my move for an internship. The emotional descent began around that time and burned everything out of me. I have attempted to play since then, but it's gone. I've heard that when you don't use it, you lose it. Currently I have one of those adult coloring books. I feel I'm too conscious about doing it perfectly (no coloring outside the lines) that it is somewhere in my room. . .or the other room.
Creativity for me helps keep me focused and grounded and allows those more intense episodes to gradually come down rather than the nasty crash that happens a lot. I love the new adult coloring books and it was my mum who got me doing them which was nice. I have used creative things throughout my whole childhood when abuse happened i tried to use this to speak out and learnt that me being creative was actually another way of expressing myself and using the skills to teach myself new coping techniques. It's a great thing to have and a good focus and makes me feel that i am in full control : )
Thank you Emma, I'm glad creativity is working very well for you. It certainly is a great form of self-expression, and definitely something good to focus on. It's empowering to be feeling in control :)
I enjoy capturing nature in many ways. but recently I haven't had time due to a new creative pursuit with cooking for others. From this I'm learning about foods and crusines.
I'm aiming to start doing water colour painting. Got a complete kit, but havn't had time or place to use it, but now that we're about to go on 3 holidays - this will be my chance to enjoy nature in it's entirety!
Hi Irene, thanks for your comment. It's great that you're exploring creativity in so many ways. Capturing nature is wonderful, and so is the cooking and painting. Very inspiring. Hope you enjoy your holidays :)
Recently colouring books for adults have become quite popular in my area They have even been talked about on the local TV news. It's a creative mindful, way to relax. Many of the drawings are quite beautiful and often very intricate. Regular wax crayons don't work very well on these sort of pictures so you actually need a set of pencils crayons. While regular pencil crayons will do I decided to go to an art store to find my pencil crayons (they are better for shading and I was able to find a wider variety of colours) but you don't really need to do that. Some of the pictures are even nice enough to frame and hang on a wall. The great thing is that it doesn't cost a lot to do. You can even get quite a variety of templates off the Internet for free!
It's a nice way to pass the time, i.e instead of parking myself in front of a TV. As a person with bipolar I also find that colour has a way of positively affecting my mood.
Thanks for sharing that Renita. Colouring books are certainly becoming very popular in so many places. I'm glad you're enjoying the colouring-in and getting so much out of it. Keep on doing that because it's wonderful, and hopefully you've inspired some others to try it out too. :)