Being Creative and Bringing Some Calm to COVID-19

As a nation we’ve been experiencing the challenges of being in lockdown for more than 12 weeks now and so it is probably no surprise that tensions may rise and tempers may fray as the pressure of not being wholly in control of our lives begins to kick in.  Getting creative can be one way of introducing some calm and a therapeutic balance to our lives.

I had the opportunity to get crafty last week, ‘helping’ my daughter with an assignment, set by her Art teacher as part of my daughter’s home-schooling. I say helping: to be honest I couldn’t keep my sticky paws away! I was in danger of taking over completely.  The brief was to ‘Create a creature using recycled materials’: cue a rummage through the recycling bin, a hunt for the Sellotape-that-had-an-end-we-could-find and some scissors.  My daughter got the ball rolling by making a cute jellyfish from plastic straws and bubble wrap.  I then got stuck in transforming a laundry liquid bottle and random plastic pieces into a tropical fish. In a moment of synchronicity, we realised it was World Ocean Day and we found ourselves happily expanding the brief to create a whole habitat of sea creatures.  And we all know how important the message is, to keep plastic out of our oceans, right?!  It was so calming to slow down and use my ‘creative’ brain. It was so soothing to have quiet, settled time together with my daughter as we let our imaginations take over.  And it was a brilliant way to focus on being in the ‘here and now’, so often one of our main goals in counselling.

There are lots of creative resources available on the internet and also on the high street now that shops are starting to reopen. And there are courses to be found online so that you can connect with others (another big therapeutic tick in these times of lockdown) at the same time as exploring your creativity.  For example, Berkhamsted Arts and Crafts are currently running a series of classes and events, such as Acrylic Landscape and The Craft of Bookbinding.  You can find out more at:

https://www.bacshop.co.uk/classes.lc

Being Creative and Bringing Some Calm to COVID-19
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