“There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” -Vincent van Gogh

What strategies do you turn to when challenges arise in your relationships? For many, creativity is an important and underappreciated tool that can be used each day. Studies show that drawing on creativity can lower stress and increase psychological well-being — and can be an important part of coping within relationships. 

While creativity can help you cope with stress, it can also help you work through challenges with others. Physical exercise, yoga, journaling, or pausing on activities until you feel ready are ways to deal with stress. Coping with stress in a relationship can look like taking a walk, creating a music playlist to boost a loved one’s mood, or working to find creative solutions together. Research shows that creative coping strategies can support your mental health and emotional well-being. 

What counts as creativity?

You may imagine creativity as a carefully painted piece of art or a few bars of music set to a rhythmic beat. You may think it could take hours or days to produce something truly creative. While these are examples of artistic creativity, there are simple, satisfying ways to use creativity in your relationships every day. When you reach into your stress management toolbox for a solution, your everyday creativity is there, ready to offer you support and fresh insights.

Three areas to use your creativity to support yourself and your relationships

As you explore creativity in your relationships, consider these three areas where you can use your creativity in your relationships — and maybe in artistic expression:

  1. Recognizing and communicating stress: How can you pick up on stress in your relationship? How can you talk about it?
  2. Providing emotional and problem-solving support: How can you support someone in getting through intense emotions or complex issues?
  3. Shared emotional regulation through rituals: How can you work together to feel more grounded and connected during stressful times? 

The Takeaway

Loving yourself and others is one of your most important responsibilities in daily life. It is key to approach the highs and lows of these relationships with the creativity in your mental health toolbox. Remember, when you prepare for active coping to get through stressful periods, you can lower stress levels and increase your sense of well-being. 

Here are three creative exercises that can help you explore your creativity in order to strengthen your relationships and support your mental health. 

References:

  1. Ivcevic, Z.  “Artistic and Everyday Creativity: An Act-Frequency Approach.” The Journal of Creative Behavior, 41 (2007): 271-290. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.2007.tb01074.x
  2. Jean-Berluche, D.  “Creative expression and mental health.” Journal of Creativity, 34(2), 100083 (2024): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2024.100083
  3. Tan, C. Y., Chuah, C. Q., Lee, S. T., & Tan, C. S. “Being Creative Makes You Happier: The Positive Effect of Creativity on Subjective Well-Being.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14),  (2021): 7244. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147244
  4. Kaufman, J. C. “Counting the muses: Development of the Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale (K-DOCS).” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 6(4), (2012): 298–308. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029751
  5. Neupert, S.D., et al., “A Coordinated Analysis of Physical Reactivity to Daily Stressors: Age and Proactive Coping Matter.” Forecasting (2022).  doi.org/10.3390/forecast4040054.

 

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