Get creative during the Covid-19 lockdown
It is not just you and me, but even Bollywood celebrities like Janhvi Kapoor, who is taking to art to explore her creativity while she has to stay at home due to the lockdown. Sketching and painting does a lot more than pass your time, and as many are considering doing it now more than ever at home, it is needless to say that the benefits are plenty. “Art brings out the creativity in people, which is extremely important in times like these as in our daily fixed routines, we don’t get time to express ourselves freely,” says Dr Hansaji Jayadeva Yogendra, director, The Yoga Institute. Psychotherapist Dr Ajay Tamhane uses art, colour and music therapy as a part of his workshops, and he says this period is for people to slow down. “Art is actually a fourletter word called love, which simply means that people should use this time to do anything they love as long as it makes people happy,” he says.
However, there is more to art than just being known to be fun and relaxing. Dr Gauri Karkhanis, clinical psychologist, Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, says, “It can give you a healthy outlet for expressing and letting go of all feelings and fears, especially for children, which helps parents understand them better.” While many are busy scurrying about with their art supplies, other ways to do it are scribbling, doodling, finger painting, and even craft. Dr Tamhane adds, “It doesn’t have to be any particular kind of paints, people can simply use charcoal or even chalk.” The rise in the number of people using colouring books, not just among children but also in adults, is encouraging and makes us curious about their effect during such times in isolation.
“I love colouring books. Colouring helps you to become focused. It is very captivating and de-stressing,” says Dr Yogendra. Dr Kharkhanis, who agrees, says psychologists also use it as one of the modalities in treating various mental health issues.“Art can give one a feeling of selfaccomplishment and improve one’s self-confidence,” she says.
As colours form an integral part of colouring and sketching, the role of specific colours, too, may have quite an effect, but Dr Yogendra remains unbiased. “Every colour has its own effect and different personalities choose different colours,” she adds.
Dr Kharkhanis says that while there shouldn’t be any restrictions in expressing oneself, people should use colours that make them feel happy. “Maybe try and avoid dull colours and surround oneself with plenty of light,” she advises. While the colours used may differ from person to person, Dr Tamhane says that there are certain colours, which could make a difference for people. “Being surrounded by colours like red, yellow, blue, and green helps, and while they may be used now, we will see the tremendous changes of this period, alter our lifestyle in the next few months,” he concludes.