5 Creative Practices for Stress Relief, mindfulness, and wellbeing

Self-care is more than spa days and bubble baths—it’s about finding intentional ways to care for your mind, body, and spirit in your daily life. One of the most overlooked (yet powerful) forms of self-care is art. You don’t have to be “good” at drawing or painting to benefit. In fact, the process itself—not the end product—is where the magic happens.

Art offers a unique space for release and reflection. It invites you to slow down, engage your senses, and express emotions that words sometimes can’t capture. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or simply need a mindful break, art can help you reconnect with yourself.

Below are five therapeutic art exercises you can try at home to release stress, practice mindfulness, and boost your overall wellbeing.

1. Color Your Emotions

What you’ll need: Paper, colored pencils/markers/crayons

Take a moment to check in with how you’re feeling.

Assign each emotion a color—there’s no “right” choice; just follow your intuition.

Fill the page with shapes, swirls, or patterns using those colors.

Notice how your body feels as you release each emotion onto the paper.

This exercise helps externalize feelings, making them easier to process and understand.

2. Mindful Doodling

What you’ll need: Pen and paper (or a sketchbook)

Set a timer for 5–10 minutes.

Begin making repetitive shapes, lines, or patterns without worrying about the outcome.

Focus on the pen’s movement, your breathing, and the feeling of the paper beneath your hand.

This is similar to meditation but keeps your hands active—a great option if sitting still feels challenging.

3. Nature Collage

What you’ll need: A few natural items (leaves, flowers, twigs), glue, paper, and scissors

Go for a short walk and gather small natural items that catch your eye.

Arrange them on paper in a way that feels calming or inspiring.

Glue them down, or photograph the arrangement if you’d like to keep it temporary.

Connecting with nature while creating something tangible can help reduce stress and ground you in the present moment.

4. Watercolor Breathwork

What you’ll need: Watercolor paints, brushes, water, paper

Before painting, take 3–5 deep, slow breaths.

Dip your brush in color and let your strokes match your breath—long, flowing lines for inhales, gentle, fading strokes for exhales.

Let the colors blend naturally without overthinking.

This combines the calming effects of breathwork with the fluid, meditative qualities of watercolor painting.

5. Gratitude Mandala

What you’ll need: Paper, compass or round object to trace, colored markers/pens

Draw a circle (it doesn’t need to be perfect).

Starting from the center, write or draw symbols representing things you’re grateful for.

Expand outward with patterns, colors, and shapes, layer by layer.

This not only creates a beautiful visual but also helps shift your focus toward positivity and appreciation.

Final Thoughts

Engaging in art for self-care is not about skill—it’s about creating space for yourself to feel, explore, and release. The beauty of these exercises is that they meet you where you are: in joy, in sadness, in stress, or in peace.

So the next time you feel tension building, give yourself permission to pick up a brush, pen, or glue stick and let your inner world spill out onto the page. You might be surprised by how much lighter you feel!