Get creative and watch your life bloom.

What a week. Separation from friends and family. Work halted. Eateries closed. Theaters dark. Gyms shuttered. And worse — no accessible Godiva Chocolate.

Kidding aside, I’ve heard from friends — especially those who live alone — that this kind of quarantine is threatening their mental health and sense of social inclusion. In short: many are anxious, panicked, lonely and sad. Science backs this up, as the second week of Coronavirus challenges our bodies and our brains. The CDC says extended isolation can lead to stress, insomnia, depression and even hallucination.

One solution? Make art.

Take 10 minutes. Grab a pencil, your kids’ crayons, or a felt tip marker. Smash a cardboard box, and make it your canvas. The supplies don’t matter. The exercise is about relieving you — even for a few minutes — of the fear that exacerbates our anxiety.

Try making marks, slopping paint, or ripping paper. See if you don’t feel a sense of joy — even accomplishment — in the middle of a tense day.

Sit yourself down in your garden — or if inside, in front of a window — and spot something that speaks to you in some way. See it, put it down on paper, and leave your self-criticism somewhere else. It’s not about the product — it’s about the process. If you totally let go— and just create — you just might find this to be an inspiring daily exercise.

For me, the beauty is truly being in the moment. When we stop, sit, and just draw — we get to make something from nothing. By doing that, we birth an idea and see it emerge from a blank page. Whether we keep the end product or not is irrelevant. It’s making it that matters.

How does creative expression reduce stress? Experts say typically artistic work requires focus, and this prevents us from being preoccupied with our uncertainty. In this way, creativity acts much in the same way as meditation.

To express an artistic vision you don’t need special supplies, you don’t need training, you don’t even need skill. You really only need two things: the desire, and the time. A global pandemic just handed you the time.
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