Creativity and Catharsis: A Path to Managing Stress

We all deal with stress. Sometimes it's obvious, like tight shoulders or a short fuse. Other times, it’s just sitting in the background, showing up as low energy or that feeling of being stuck. Either way, stress builds up. If we don’t have a healthy way to release it, it starts to weigh us down.

Over the years, I’ve seen how powerful creative expression can be for releasing that pressure. Make it a regular practice, something you come back to that helps you let go of what you’ve been holding inside.

When I talk about creativity, I’m not talking about talent or presentation. I’m talking about making something that allows you to move through what you're feeling. That might be painting. It might be dancing. It might be writing something raw and honest in a journal or sketching without any goal in mind. The process is what matters.

Catharsis is the release of emotion. It’s when you finally let something out that you’ve been holding in for too long. Creativity gives you a safe space to do that. It helps you shift the stress, name it, feel it, and move through it—without having to explain or justify it.

In my own life, I’ve leaned on creative outlets during times when talking didn’t feel like enough. And I’ve encouraged clients to do the same. It’s not about fixing everything. It’s about creating space to breathe. To move some of the weight off your shoulders. To reconnect with parts of yourself that stress has pushed into the background.

So if things feel heavy, give yourself permission to create something. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours. Put some music on. Write a few lines. Move your body. Let it out in whatever way feels honest.

You don’t need a masterpiece. You just need a moment that’s real.