Have you ever created something that expressed feelings you had been holding in silence? Have you noticed how your thoughts and feelings can reveal themselves more easily in creative projects than in conversations? Your creativity can be a meaningful (and fun!) way to increase the emotional courage you have in your life. Emotional courage is an important part of supporting your mental health and emotional well-being.
Personal reflections
As a young person, I turned to poetry and enjoyed posting my poems online. With every published poem, I noticed something that truly surprised me: Speaking my thoughts in a public forum was more comfortable for me than chatting with my closest friends.
Over time, I grew more confident expressing my feelings and even performed a poem at a spoken word event. I noticed, however, that I focused more on general topics than on my own personal journey. I was still holding on to parts of my emotions in silence. It wasn’t until I took a storytelling workshop that I realized the power of creativity to support showing up with more emotional courage.
With encouragement from a storytelling coach, I went from writing in my journal to drafting a story that I performed in front of an audience of strangers. This story gave voice to feelings about my life and experiences in a way that felt both nerve wracking and freeing.
The preparation anxiety, stage nerves, and fear of judgment were real. However, they did not outweigh my desire to be heard. That realization motivated me to face my fear of being openly vulnerable. Today, when I face an emotional challenge, I return to these memories to remind myself that vulnerability is like a muscle that can be strengthened over time.
Growing emotional courage through creativity
As you explore who you are, creative outlets can support your understanding of what you value, what you enjoy, what you need from relationships, and even what creative gifts you bring into the world. Each time you create something, you are drawing on what’s inside and bringing it outside as a visible part of yourself.
The benefits of these acts of creative courage do not begin or end with revealing them to others. A young person humming a soothing tune while on a commute, doodling to process a tough conversation, or writing lyrics to reflect their current mood is practicing creative courage regardless of who sees or hears it. Each creation reflects the emotional courage needed to turn toward your feelings with curiosity and tenderness.
How can creativity make emotional courage more possible?
It is possible to grow your emotional courage no matter your starting point. There are many ways to turn toward your feelings and greet them bravely. The best part of this practice is that it can support emotional regulation when you’re alone or with others. It can also lower the self-doubt you may have about your ability to cope with overwhelming emotions.
The Takeaway & Closing Reflection
Exploring the ways creative courage can help you to be emotionally braver over time is good for your mental health. Find time this week to use the arts and your creativity to explore what you are feeling, turn towards your emotions with curiosity and tenderness, and then choose self-care acts that serve you.
Whether you practice a creative outlet that is familiar to you or brand new, remember that future versions of you will thank you for your courage.
Try these activities:
- Notice your emotional experience (sense). You can try one or more of these activities to grow your ability to slow down and pay attention to the emotions showing up. With enough practice sensing your emotions, you can more readily use the emotional courage needed to sit with them.
- Turn toward your emotional experience (reflect). You can try this activity to grow your ability to turn toward your emotions with curiosity and compassion. Over time, these practices can shift your experience of emotions from overwhelming to an invitation to learn more about your needs.
- Act in support of your emotional needs (choose). You can try one or more of these activities to grow your ability to choose the kinds of support that serve your emotional needs. Whether you seek support from others or offer yourself a grounding moment, each choice helps to make the next act of emotional courage more possible for future versions of you.
Take action with these activities:
- Create-Safety Activity 1: Notice Your Emotional Experience
- Create-Safety Activity 2: Turn Towards Your Emotional Experience
- Create-Safety Activity 3: Act in Support of Your Emotional Needs
References
- Haag, A., Bagrodia, R., & Bonanno, G. A. (2024). Emotion regulation flexibility in adolescents: A systematic review from conceptualization to methodology. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 27(3), 697–713. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-024-00483-6
- Jean-Berluche, D. (2024). Creative expression and mental health. Journal of Creativity, 34(2), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2024.100083
- Lynch, J. M., Stange, K. C., Dowrick, C., Getz, L., Meredith, P. J., Van Driel, M. L., Harris, M. G., Tillack, K., & Tapp, C. (2025). The sense of safety theoretical framework: A trauma-informed and healing-oriented approach for whole person care. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1441493.
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1441493
- Pederson, L. D. (2015). Skills training. In L. D. Pederson (Ed.), Dialectical behavior therapy: A contemporary guide for practitioners. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118957882.ch19
