Painting and Pain

Liz Walker
Aug 6, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Apr 25, 2022

sea sparkle.org

To me, creativity should be accessible to everyone, regardless of drawing skills, and to enable those with low self-confidence or little experience to try something new; to feel that they have achieved new skills in a supportive environment.

I have worked in Community Arts, with very young children, teenagers, with specialist care groups and also with Mental Health projects, and dementia patients. All since retiring. Most of the time on crutches and a lot of the time for free.

Why.? Not because I don't have anything better to do... Not because there is no pain or no obstacles, not because it has been too difficult as a single mum. But despite these things. Working as an artist alone constantly does nothing for me But feeling and giving inspiration is a wonderful distraction. The energy of others, who are often struggling with their own battles is a grounding and humbling gift. People help each other, help me, and my daughter has tagged along, absorbing creativity and life skills by osmosis

And we know this...

“When we get together and laugh and make a mess and talk and share and learn... we grow... and we forget our pain .”

We release endorphins when we :

Create- draw, paint, sew,

When we sing from the bottom of our lungs....

When we....

Exercise. A moderately intense pace, whether you’re walking fast or doing another form of aerobic activity, seems to be best for releasing endorphins.
Practice Acupuncture. An effective way to release endorphin is with pressure points. Placing fine needles into the skin at specific points around the body triggers the release of endorphins.
Or Meditation. Breathing deeply and focusing your brain calms your mind and eases pain.
Participate in close (ahem) relationships..... These hormones are the reason for that blissful feeling many of us get after having sex. Experts believe that endorphins promote the release of other hormones that are involved in feelings of love.
Playing music. When you sing, dance, or bang on a drum, you do more than entertain others. You also release a rush of endorphins, which research suggests might increase tolerance to pain.
Laughter. A good belly laugh can do wonders for your state of mind. Along with releasing endorphins, laughter alters levels of serotonin and dopamine.
Ultraviolet light. It’s no wonder that some people feel happy when they spend time outdoors in the sun. Ultraviolet light stimulates the release of beta-endorphins in the skin.

Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. Endorphins are released by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in response to pain or stress, this group of peptide hormones both relieves pain and creates a general feeling of well-being.

The name of these hormones comes from the term "endogenous morphine." "Endogenous" because they’re produced in our bodies. Morphine refers to the opioid painkiller whose actions they mimic.

About 20 different types of endorphins exist. The best studied of these is beta-endorphin, which is the one associated with the runner’s high. We also release endorphins when we laugh, fall in love, have sex, and even eat a delicious meal.

Next time your pain get bad, turn up Alexa and sing, squeeze a few tubes of paint onto a blank canvas . You aren't ignoring your illness. Just diminishing it's power over your happiness.

This is is a link to my long standing blog at lizatthebeachhut.com.

Art and Arthritis

Don't forget to come back to this site for more exploring afterwards!