How Drawing Helped Me Through a Week of Depression

People say art is therapeutic. This statement is true for me. When I had a difficult week, I began to struggle with my depression. Each day seemed worse than the day before. Loneliness set in. I was exhausted from the stress and I couldn’t quit worrying about everything going on in my life.

Finally, I sat down with a piece of paper and a pencil. I picked out a photo of Dakota Fanning online and I began to draw the image. Slowly, I filled in the dark and light shapes I could see. I couldn’t think about anything else but the shapes and the lines.

When I was finished, I looked at what I had done. It wasn’t too bad! I felt a little bit better until my mind starting racing with more stressful thoughts. I needed to keep drawing.

I found a photo of Ellen DeGeneres and picked up my pencil again. My stressful thoughts went away as I focused on the new artwork. I drew more shapes and lines and worked on the shading. After another couple hours, I was staring at another completed drawing. It seemed even better than the last one.

Over the next few days, I drew Rachel Platten, an image of Shawn Mendes for a friend and a sketch of a horse for another friend.

Drawing isn’t just art. It’s therapy. Not only did I discover my talent, but I found a way to deal with the stress of everyday life. And now that my week is finally over, I’m already feeling a bit better. I found peace in a piece of paper and a pencil.

We want to hear your story. Become a Mighty contributor here.

Image via Thinkstock