Prof. Manoshi Roy Chowdhury (a Co-chairperson & mental health initiative of Techno India Group, Founder ) organized a Happiness Fair on 21st of March, 2023 at the Techno India University Main campus (EM-4, Sector-V, Salt Lake, Kolkata, WB, India). Ms. Soma Bhowmik, acclaimed artist and poet was invited as a guest of honour to inaugurate the Happiness Fair, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and served as a speaker of the panel discussion on the topic On Resilience: Overcoming challenges in Life. She also served as a judge of the sit-and-draw competition held on the fair. Legendary magician, Dr. P. C. Sorcar and other famous dignitaries graced the occasion with their erudite lectures.
But the most outstanding speech was delivered by Ms. Sona Bhowmik at this occasion. She said, “Resilience was defined by most as the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change, and keep going in the face of adversity. Resilience can help protect you from various mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety…..7 skills required: competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping and control.”
In her monumental speech, Ms Soma Bhowmik explained her to do list as:
- Trying to take a positive perspective on situations.
- Viewing challenges as learning opportunities.
- Regulating emotions and expressing feelings in appropriate ways.
- Focusing on the things you can control instead of dwelling on what you cannot change.
- Recognizing that cognitive distortions are false.
She emphasized, “When you want to find a way to take a break from distressing thoughts, drawing offers a way to focus your attention on something calming…….Sketching, doodling, or coloring provides a way to ground yourself and get some peace from racing thoughts. When you become immersed in your creation, your brain gets recharged from the focus. …..It can actually help to reduce stress and improve your ability to deal with things that are going on around you……Many different forms of art can help you experience this, including drawing and painting.”
She explained to the audience about the ‘Great Benefits of Painting & Drawing’ point wise:
- Improve Communication Skills. Some people may find it difficult to express themselves properly in front of people. ...
- Enhance Creativity. ...
- Increase Emotional Intelligence. ...
- Improve memory. ...
- Enhance Problem Solving Skills. ...
- Self-esteem Booster. ...
- Reduces Stress.
Ms. Bhowmik further added, “….. this helps us to communicate in a different, personal language. This is a great benefit for all people and mainly for those who have conditions with a lack of communication or problems expressing themselves such as: shyness, autism and other disabilities…….. Famous psychologist and art therapist, Dr. Cathy Malchiodi cited multiple studies confirming that being creative can increase positive emotions, lessen depressive symptoms, reduce stress, decrease anxiety, and even improve immune system functioning……Art gives a feeling of joy and boosts a good mood. Artwork fosters the feeling of relaxation, creativity, and inspiration. Any form of creativity can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and encourage the good hormones endorphins and dopamine in our brains.”
There is increasing evidence in rehabilitation medicine and the field of neuroscience that art enhances brain function by impacting brain wave patterns, emotions, and the nervous system. Art can also raise serotonin levels. These benefits don't just come from making art, they also occur by experiencing art. Mrs Soma Bhowmik explained the numerous impacts of different colours. She suggested, “…..Red is used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation. Yellow is thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.
Orange is used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels. Green is for better focus and concentration. Low wavelength colors promote restfulness and calm, and they improve efficiency and focus. So that's why green is an excellent color for improving concentration. Apart from being one of the easiest colors on the eyes, it reminds us of nature.”
Warm colors like red, yellow and orange evoke higher arousal emotions, such as love, passion, happiness, and anger. Cool colors, like blue, green and purple are linked to calmness, sadness and indifference. Colors can trigger these arousal states and emotions. Studies have shown that blue and green can create a calming atmosphere; orange and yellow can stimulate appetite; red and pink can inspire passion and energy; while purple can boost creativity and productivity.
RED helps learners remember facts and figures. Blue – A highly peaceful color, blue can be especially helpful for stress management because it can encourage a powerful sense of calm. Purple – In many cultures, shades of violet represent strength, wisdom and peace. Purple can invoke a tranquil feeling that helps reduce stress. Blue is perhaps the best color for your bedroom. Not only is it more muted, but blue tones also tend to have more calming effects on the brain. “Gray” was the most frequent color indicated for sadness, followed by “indigo” and then “black” The intensities for all three colors were moderate Orange. This promotes better focus, concentration, and creativity. It encourages you to keep the room organised as well, so you're motivated to study or work anytime. Be careful when choosing the brightness, though. Doodles fill these gaps, possibly by activating the brain's “time travel machine,” allowing it to find lost puzzle pieces of memories, bringing them to the present, and making the picture of our lives more whole again.
She further added, “Psychologist Jackie Andrade ran a study in which she found that people who doodled while listening to boring information remembered about 29% more than those who didn't doodle. That's a big difference from just a pen and paper!Doodling is more than just a way to stop yourself from daydreaming and keeping your brain from falling asleep. The act of drawing is creative in itself and can help you come up with ideas to solve whatever problems you might be stuck on. It’s a vast and never ending topic ……… research is still going on.” The packed auditorium bursted into applauds through her session indicating the appreciation of our erudite lecture at the event.