HOW CAN CHALK PAINTING BENEFIT MY MENTAL HEALTH?
First things first: if you are experiencing persistent low mood, stress, and anxiety, please make an appointment with a medical professional. Hopefully, they will be able to work out a plan with you to find the correct combination of medication and lifestyle changes to get you feeling better. We wish you the best of luck!
In the meantime, and as a supplement to these important changes, we’re confident in the depression-busting, mood-boosting, happy-making properties of crafting, painting and upcycling with Chalk Paint™. Read on to see what customers say about Chalk Paint™ as a form of therapy, as a way to meditate, and as a way to bring joy into their home… (featuring responses to our #ChalkPaintIsAnnieSloan campaign from The Colourist Issue 3!)
Transform your Environment
Tidy space, tidy mind. Love your home, love yourself. Invest in your space as an extension of investing in yourself. A lick of paint can transform a space, thereby giving you a renewed love of your home, restoring pride in your surroundings, and providing unequivocal proof of your own capabilities! You may wish to choose colours which create a tranquil space to promote mindfulness; something bright and bold to spark joy; or something neutral to declutter your space. Whether you transform your work desk, your kitchen cabinets, or even your front door, you’ll have a renewed appreciation for that space.
Learn a New Skill to Boost Confidence
Learning a new skill can build confidence which is a great way to combat anxiety, feelings of low self-worth and poor self-esteem. According to the NHS, “research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem
- helping you to build a sense of purpose
- helping you to connect with others”
Meditative Painting
Meditation and mindfulness are both well-researched and proven coping mechanisms for managing stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can lead to or exacerbate depression. “When you meditate, you are better able to ignore the negative sensations of stress and anxiety, which explains, in part, why stress levels fall when you meditate,” says Dr. Denninger (Director of Research at the Harvard affiliated Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine).
According to Annie, “furniture painting allows me to meditate in a way I just can’t when sitting still. When I’m painting it feels like the yarn ball of stress in my mind unravels and flows out from my head, down through my arm and out through the brush. I feel as though I’m painting my troubles away.”
Colour to Spark Joy
Using more colour in your home can have an impact on mood. Explore the Chalk Paint™ colour palette and find a shade which reminds you of a happy time, place, or image. Perhaps Emperor’s Silk is the same bright red as your first ever pair of shoes; Provence conjures happy holiday memories; or Tilton reminds you of a scarf your mother used to wear. Colour is a deeply personal thing and there is no one-size-fits-all shade to improve your mood. There will, however, be a hue that does boost your mood and will elicit a smile whenever it catches your eye. Use this colour liberally!
Creative Satisfaction
Psychologists and art therapists agree that being creative can increase positive emotions, lessen symptoms of depression, relieve stress, minimise anxiety, and even help our immune systems (A 2016 study in The Journal of Positive Psychology supported these earlier findings). There’s nothing like ticking something off a To Do list, especially when that something is rediscovering your own creative abilities. If you’ve found work, parenting, or life in general have come between you and your own creative expression, painting furniture can be a fabulous way to rediscover the benefits once more. The creative satisfaction from transforming something yourself will build confidence and happiness long after your brushes are washed up. Prolong the delight by sharing photos of your work online and tagging @chalkpaint so Annie, her Stockists, and the wider Chalk Paint™ community can admire your work!