American youth are facing a mental health crisis. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 40% of U.S high school students in 2023 reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the past year. As these numbers worsen, researchers and schools alike are working to find new measures in the hopes of changing these worsening statistics. One approach in which many may find improvement is participating and engaging in creative activities. Creativity, specifically involving art, music, or writing, are easy outlets for teens to improve their mental health as they build an environment where adolescents can process emotions, increase confidence, and strengthen their sense of self-worth.
Art like drawing and painting can be used for art therapy, a widely recognized use of art for therapy for those struggling with their mental health. Creating and experimenting with these types of pieces—even with no prior knowledge or experience—offers opportunities for self-expression which can help process difficult feelings, overall helping to reduce stress. This type of therapy is a legitimate medical technique used by therapists primarily focusing on addressing emotions, fostering self-awareness, and promoting overall healing. Professionals recommend art therapy for teens especially, as it offers a nonverbal approach to therapy, which can often be preferred rather than directly speaking with a therapist. This therapy can also be preferred in cases in which people are struggling with trauma-related challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder. This is due to the safe space and emotional release that it can provide. The therapy is also easily accessible, as there are online resources like drawing and doodling apps that can introduce youth to art therapy if they may not be ready for a more formal type of therapy. According to the American Art Therapy Association even the simplest of creative activities like digital sketching can help young adults start to express emotions and deal with stress in ways that don’t require much effort.
Music is something that many turn to as an easy and accessible way to calm down. Accessibility is important for teenagers with mental health issues, specifically because it reduces the barriers to getting help, such as cost or methods of transportation. Research from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health shows that music can be a beneficial option for therapy due to its therapeutic qualities. Whether it’s playing or listening to music, it has the potential to create an environment for teens to ground themselves and calm down, ultimately offering a way to manage stress and actively manage emotions. Music helps to create a way to connect with the people surrounding them, overall allowing for the formation of a helpful support system. This is especially helpful for people struggling with mental illness, as it is easy for many people with mental illness to gain feelings of loneliness or isolation. Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music offer mood boosting playlists in different genres that can be used regularly to create a routine.
Many teenagers have found that writing can also help ease the toll that mental illness takes on them, particularly expressive writing. This type of writing focuses on exploring and discussing one’s deepest thoughts and emotions through journaling. Traditionally, when used for therapeutic purposes, it is written without correcting spelling or grammar, making it more fluid rather than structured. The method can be an especially good option for anxious and worried individuals, as it offers a place to write everything and form concrete thoughts rather than the continuous spiral of thinking of a topic. Expressive writing also creates an environment for processing trauma, as it allows them to work through the feelings they have and help understand why they feel the way they do. Upon interviewing, a Horace Greeley high school sophomore who has recently begun writing to help manage anxiety stated “Journaling helps me manage ideas and conflicts that I wouldn’t be comfortable sharing out loud”, reinforcing the effectiveness of expressive writing specifically in our school where students are often subjected to comparison with classmates, which can often lead to pressure induced anxiety.
Creativity allows teens to support their mental well-being in their youth and into adulthood. According to the American Psychological Association, teens who often participate in creative activities such as art, writing, or music report lower amounts of anxiety and depression. More than ever, it’s important when more and more teens struggle with their mental well-being, to give tools to support healthy ways to understand emotions and build self-confidence.
