Painting As A Way To Decompress

Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body's senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment. There are many environmental elements that impact an individual. Examples of these elements are urbanization, crowding, noise, mass media, technology, and the explosive growth of information. With the amount of over-stimulation in our society, it is evident that people are seeking ways to decompress. Some are led to meditate or pray while others have turned to the practice of yoga. I have personally attended several silent retreats to decompress and give my mind and being a chance to rest.

In discovering my ability to paint, I came to realize that painting is another way to decompress from the overstimuation and noise of our world. It completely removes all outside distractions and I focus solely on the canvas in front of me. You should try it and see what your experience is. Following are a few suggestions:

Make yourself comfortable in a quiet space, separate from all electronics, including your phone, t.v., computer, your pet, etc. Quiet your mind for a few minutes and then allow yourself to just paint whatever you are inspired to create. Do not judge your work, just focus on how it makes you feel. Select colors that you like and just let go and paint whatever. If the colors blend or don't blend, accept that what you paint is a perfect inspiration of what you are feeling at that precise moment. You may just end up painting a masterpiece. I painted the image above, which I entitled "So Stressed" the second time I painted in my life. I sat down to paint when I recalled that it was such a de-stressing experience, the first time I painted.

Let me know what your experience is, I'd love to hear about it.

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