Key points

Art helps with trauma processing and resilience.

Pursuing an enjoyable art form improves mood and reduces anxiety.

Music and other art forms protect the brain from aging effects such as memory loss and dementia.

Participating in the arts encourages mental flexibility, a sign of mental health.

Years ago, I worked with an emergency room nurse I’ll call Lisa, who sought my help after a horrific day in the emergency room. “We lost a child today due to child abuse. The little one’s body was so battered and broken that it broke our hearts. We did everything we could to save her. The surgeons, the other nurses, the staff, we all broke down in tears when it was all over,” Lisa said. As we talked through the horrors of that day, I asked her what helped her make it through the day.

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