By Lucy Wyndham
3 Ways Photography Helps You To Manage Stress And Anxiety
Over 70% of individuals who experience stress and anxiety every day say it affects their lives moderately, according to ADAA. Everyone deals with mental and emotional stress at some point in their lives. It could be work-related stress or life stresses like getting married, divorce, financial problems, and chronic illness. Luckily, you can overcome stress and anxiety if you take time out to refocus and gain a new perspective about life. And there is no better way to do so than engaging in photography.
Photography acts as a distraction that eliminates negative thoughts and helps you change your way of thinking. The moment you stop to capture an image can significantly transform your life because you begin to evaluate your surroundings through a new lens. Besides, you don’t need expert guidance on stress management using a camera. Here’s how photography helps you manage stress and anxiety.
Allows You To Reframe The World
The simple act of taking photographs helps you relieve stress because you can re-imagine your surroundings. This means you can place personal values, interests, and thoughts to reframe the world with what you want to see and feel through photography. In short, you have the freedom to choose what you pay attention to and what you eliminate from the frame. The satisfaction that comes with reframing the world around you creates self-awareness, mindfulness, and positive insights. Nurturing mindfulness improves your mental wellbeing as you’ll start viewing things objectively, instead of jumping to conclusions.
Photos Trigger Emotions
Images have the power to evoke positive and negative emotions. For example, looking at photos that depict happiness makes you cheerful, just like inhaling warm scents reduces cravings for unhealthy snacking. On the other hand, viewing photographs that display sadness triggers negative thoughts and stress. This is because the repetition of the same photos affects how you feel. That’s why you should always focus on photography practices that trigger positive feelings in your mind. Taking pictures of nature, architecture, and anything that uplifts your moods lowers anxiety levels, reduces stress, and makes you feel relaxed, peaceful, love, and compassionate.
Improves Focus And Life Experiences
While therapeutic photography does not require you to take perfect shots, you still need to put your attention outside the mind. Doing so distracts you from thinking about unpleasant events or situations that trigger anxiety. Instead, you focus on viewing things deeply, from a different angle, and connect more with what you hear, feel, and think. Embracing photography as a self-therapy tool also helps enhance life experiences, which evokes happiness. Elements that once seemed ordinary become more meaningful. For instance, a simple rose flower can transform into a breathtaking gift of nature when you capture it on camera as it begins to bloom.
Therapeutic photography entails capturing, evaluating, and using photographs for self-healing, expression, growth, and understanding. Whether you do it consciously or unconsciously, photography enables you to reframe your environment. It also evokes emotions and helps improve focus and everyday experiences. When viewed from different angles, the simple things in life become meaningful.