How Painting Can Help Reduce Stress

How Painting Can Help Reduce Stress

We all have stressful lives. Even in the best of times, the little things pile up, and in 2020 just living a normal life is exhausting. In stressful times like these. It's natural to look for some way to deal with your stress. 

What if there was a way to not only reduce stress but learn an impressive skill as well? The good news is that at Paint Your Numbers, we found the perfect solution to your problems; use one of our custom paint by number kits to reduce your stress and teach yourself to paint.

What Is Stress?

Before we get into how to deal with stress, it's important to understand what stress is and what causes it. 

Stress has a pretty simple definition. It's best defined as your body's reaction to any situation that requires a change. There are a series of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms of stress. The things that cause stress can be environmental, personal, or mental pressures. Even good things can cause stress if the change is large enough.

It's important to remember that stress is a natural part of life that exists for an important reason. Basically, stress is the system your body has to make you do something you don't want to. In our pre-modern ancestors, this was the system that kept us alive in the wild. But unless you do a lot of mammoth hunting in your free time (no judgment here), your stress may be hurting you more than it helps you. 

What we call stress is caused by a hormone called cortisol. This hormone, which is often called the stress hormone, is vital to the fight-or-flight response. Cortisol is an important part of how your body works, but too much can leave you feeling drained and overwhelmed. A series of stresses can pile up quickly and have you looking anywhere for relief. 

How to Manage Stress

To regulate your mood, it's important to manage your cortisol levels. Living with less stress can make your life happier and healthier. Just like stressful activities increase how much cortisol is produced by your body, relaxing activities reduce that amount. Traditionally, repetitive and meditative tasks, like sewing or tending a garden, have been used to reduce stress. One of the best ways to manage your stress level is through art therapy.

Art Therapy

Art therapy is exactly what it sounds like. You use the process of creating art to enhance your life. For many people, this takes the form of painting. Experts estimate that as many as 75%  of people who try painting have lower cortisol levels than before they started using paints. For the people who didn't have lower levels, none of them had higher levels. This means that about three-quarters of people will have measurably lower levels of stress after painting.

It's even more encouraging because prior experience didn't affect the results. So even if you still can only draw stick figures, you still have the same chance at stress reduction because just the process of attempting to create art has huge benefits. Plus, if you use the right tools, a lack of experience doesn't have to mean that your art won't look as good as you feel after making it.

Paint By Numbers Is the Solution

At Paint Your Numbers, we use a simple process to help you get started creating immaculate paintings in no time. The process is simple and easy and allows you to transform your favorite photo into a one of a kind work of art. 

Paint by numbers is a method where an original image provided by you is transformed into a series of numbered shapes. Each of the numbers in these shapes corresponds with a color of paint. All you have to do is match these numbers to their corresponding colors. Then use the correct paint to fill in the outlines. 

We package everything you need in our kits, so all you need to do is open the box and follow the directions. Once you're finished, you'll have created a unique painting.

If this sounds like just the thing for someone in your life, we offer gift cards. You can give your loved ones the gift of stress reduction in an unforgettable way. It's the perfect gift for the upcoming wedding, Bat Mitzvah, or birthday party you've been stressing about. If you learned how to color in kindergarten, you, too, can make a beautiful painting. 

Getting Started

Upload Your Photo

The first step of the process is easy and simple. Just upload a photo to our website, and we will transform it into a high-quality canvas paint by number print. Once it's finished, it'll look just like it belongs in a gallery. The detailed print will be completely unique. You can choose whatever size fits your needs best. If you can post a selfie, you can order one of our great kits.

Order Your Personalized Kit

The next step is to finish your Paint Your Numbers order. After you've uploaded your image, you'll have a few more options to choose from. If you want, you can order a DIY Frame to go with your canvas. This sturdy and classy frame is the best thing to compliment your art. It's the perfect way to showcase your hard work and would look at home on any wall. 

Once you've finished your order, it's time to wrap up the payment and shipping. At Paint Your Numbers, we understand how annoying paying for shipping is. So we decided to offer free worldwide shipping. No hassle and no questions asked. It’s just another way that we can help 

you reduce stress. 

Enjoy Painting your Numbers

In about three weeks, you should have your package, and then it's time to start creating. Everything you need to get going is included in the box. There are a few simple tips to get started, but this is supposed to be relaxing. Don't stress the small stuff. You've got this!

  • Paint Your Colors One at a Time: When you do this, you can spend less time cleaning your brushes and more time creating.
  • Start with Larger Shapes: This helps you get used to painting before you move onto the finer details of your art.
  • Make Sure Your Paints Are Dry: Before you start your next color, make sure the last one is dry. This will ensure that none of the colors run together.
  • Start With the Darkest Colors: Darker pigments can overpower lighter colors, so make sure you start with them. That way, your lighter tones won't look desaturated or muddy.

But this is all just advice. As long as you are having a good time, you're doing it right. When you've finished your painting, you'll have a completely personalized work of art. 

Not only is that something to be proud of, but the creative process is proven to reduce stress in most people.


Unique Benefits of Paint by Numbers

You already know about the benefits of creating art for your stress levels, but you might now know there are some advantages to starting off with paint by number. Basically, there are several ways that paint by numbers is a less stressful process than painting on your own. And when we're trying to reduce your overall stress and improve your mood, it makes sense to avoid any extra strain.

Learning to paint can be a difficult process, and paying someone to teach you can be expensive. It can take a long time for most people to create something they can feel proud of. Also, you need a lot of equipment. It can be expensive and confusing to find all of the brushes, paints, and other supplies you need to start painting. 

But our kits solve all of those problems. Each one of our kits has easy to follow directions, so all you need to do is color inside the lines. Just follow the simple instructions, and in no time, your composition will be finished.

All of our kits at Paint Your Numbers come with everything you need to finish your art. That means that all of the necessary paints, brushes, and other tools are included. This means that you can get right to the creating without stressing about tracking all of that down on your own. 

The Answer to Your Question

Painting can help reduce stress and improve your life. Our kits at Paint Your Numbers offer an easy and uncomplicated way to start painting on your terms and manage your stress.

 

 

Sources:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/arts-and-health/201606/art-making-and-stress-reduction

https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/stress 

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