There are several ways to help you work through your grief after losing a loved one. Some of these ways include reaching out to a support group or talking one-on-one with a grief counselor. Another way you may hear directors at funeral homes in Rockford, IL mention is by using art to help work through the grief. While this may sound great you may be unsure how to go about it or why it helps. Let’s look more into this so that you can see if this might be a good option for you.

For thousands of years, people have turned to art to help express, process, and work through emotions. When you grieve, you are bringing powerful emotions to the surface. These feelings may be intense, and you may not be sure how to handle them. Through mediums such as painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, and more, people have gained many benefits.

One of the benefits creating provides is a sense of control. When you lose someone close to you, your whole world can feel out-of-sorts and out of control. Having an activity that is in your control can bring a little steadiness back into your life.

Also, creating provides a sense of calm and comfort. When you are immersed in an activity such as painting, you can forget about everything else, reach your flow state, and achieve a sense of peace and calm. This is a similar state to when people sit and meditate.

The good thing about using art to help cope with grief is that you don’t have to be an expert or even have ever tried anything artistic in the past. Anybody can do this. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Decide the medium– If you feel you want a peaceful, calm activity maybe select a mandala coloring book where you can sit quietly and color. If you are feeling more heightened emotions perhaps choose a big canvas and paint while standing or break tiles to create a mosaic.
• Gather supplies – Get everything you need and have it ready to go. This will help you stay in the moment once you get started and not interrupt your flow to go and find something you forgot.
• Let go of judgment– Take a deep breath and just start. Let go of any judgment or expectations and just let whatever comes up happen. This isn’t a piece of art you are trying to impress anyone with or win an award, this piece is for you and you only.
• Try different mediums– Don’t feel like you have to stick to just one medium. Give yourself permission to try several and see which one or ones you like and connect with the most.

Creating art can help you work through your grief in many ways as well as bring a little sense of control and comfort to you in this difficult time. Directors at funeral homes in Rockford, IL would like you to know if you find yourself needing more help or support, please reach out as we have several resources to direct you to.