While I Was Caregiving; Creativity Was the One Space That Still Felt Like Mine
- Lisa Albinus
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
When I was caring for my mom, life was heavy. There were constant hospital visits, long days in waiting rooms, and stretches of time when everything felt uncertain. There were nurses and doctors, reports, monitors, no sleep, worry, hope---so many emotions, and so much stress... one could break in half. When we got home, the schedule only increased- there were endless providers, our front door was a turnstile. The demands were constant - as was the love I had for my mom when she needed me most.
During all of that, I kept my sketchbook and/or iPad close. I didn’t bring them to get work done or stay productive. I brought them because they helped me stay steady. Creativity became a sacred space—a retreat—it was not about productivity or perfection, but presence. My sketchbook and/or Procreate grounded me.
Sometimes I just opened a blank page and made small marks. Other times I sketched what was in front of me or played with color in Procreate. It wasn’t about making something good. It was about having something that helped me feel calm, even for a few minutes.
Back then, I didn’t need science to tell me it helped—but now that I’ve had space to look back, I’ve found that the research backs it up. Creative time has real, measurable benefits for mental health.
Creativity supports emotional regulation (study on mood/mindfulness)
Flow state decreases stress response
Helps process trauma and improves mental flexibility
A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that creative professionals, like writers and musicians, showed higher levels of psychological flexibility and emotional regulation (Furbee et al., 2021). These are two traits that help people handle stress and stay steady in difficult circumstances.
Another paper reviewed how creative activities—especially visual art—help with emotional processing, mood regulation, and cognitive flexibility. This review included multiple studies showing that creativity supports mental health across a wide range of settings, including healthcare environments (Stuckey & Nobel, 2010).
And more recent neuroscience research confirms what many artists already know: when you’re “in the zone,” or what researchers call a flow state, your brain activity changes. Flow helps decrease the activity in the brain's inner critic and activates the reward system, making you feel more present and less anxious (Neuroscience News, 2024).
That was true for me. Creativity didn’t fix what I was going through, but it gave me something reliable to hold on to. It was a way to breathe, process, and stay grounded.
If you’re going through something hard—or if life just feels too loud—I want you to know that creative time can help. You don’t need to make anything big or important. You just need a place to land. A place to sit down, open a page, and let your hand move.
Many women carry invisible weight—caregiving, grief, burnout. Why not try using creativity as a refuge. You don’t need to “be an artist”—you just need to begin.
Need a quiet moment to reset?These 3 free Procreate-ready coloring pages are designed to help you slow down and find your breath again.
