Embracing accident: How an art retreat holiday helped ease my anxiety

When I left London in early December, there was a damp chill in the air that I could feel even through my thick coat. As someone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the start of winter is always a tricky time.

So when I step off a plane on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia and am hit by a wall of warm, humid air and the earthy smell of rain-soaked plants, my heart instantly feels lighter.

But I didn't come to the holiday hotspot just to soak up a little winter sun. To really quell my seasons of depression and anxiety, I attend an art retreat at the beachside resort, Strand Time by Rendez-Vous.

What effect does art have on mental health?

according to report A report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 found that the results of more than 3,000 studies revealed “the key role of the arts in preventing disease, promoting health, and managing and treating disease across the lifespan.” .

art It is now a common treatment used everywhere from psychiatric hospitals to welfare charity programs.

StolenTime based in London artist Venetia Berry is leading our session. A variety of activities will help you reignite your imagination, free your mind from expectations, and embrace chance.

Why should you go on an art retreat?

Berry begins the first lesson by asking you to close your eyes, imagine a square, and trace its outline as you breathe slowly. It helps dampen busy thinking and focus the mind on less complex, more concrete things.

Berry then teaches us how to paint “whimsical landscapes” that help us connect with our world. Creativity.

I immediately noticed the huge gnarled saman trees outside (reportedly more than 150 years old) and the extensive lime trees that make the resort feel half-hidden in the jungle. I am attracted to green leaves.

add diagram yoga – That morning, I took part in a dreamy beachside session – and did cat stretches as an ode to Bubbles, the hotel's resident cat.

Berry wants us to avoid realistic colors, so when I arrived the night before, my tree was purple to match the inky sky, and the ground was a bright turquoise. caribbean Ocean.

The first lesson felt liberating. Berry doesn't let us erase anything and encourages us to dive in without fear of making mistakes.

Where are the best art retreats?

of caribbean A great place to improve your mental health. The warm weather invites you out into the fresh air, and the brief but heavy rain brings a soothing sense of freedom.

At night, the air is filled with the chirps and cries of birds and frogs, and the rhythmic waves of the sea are surprisingly calm.

Billed as StolenTime – Adults Only. wellness A resort that frees guests from the pressures of the modern world – encouraging early risers. beach A walk, a bike ride to the Saturday market, a fitness class with a former Olympian, and a sunrise meditation.

However, becoming completely celibate is not a healthy path.

There's a bubbly hour every night, two pages' worth of rum cocktails on the drinks menu, and a sandy-toed restaurant that serves Creole cuisine and live music in the evening (but don't let guests miss out on morning yoga) (only available until 11pm).

There are also plenty of healthy activities that go beyond the resort. The climb to the UNESCO-listed Gros Piton is a spectacular two-hour climb up a rocky slope.

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The path is overgrown with cacti, palm trees, and giant gumbo limbo. wood Its flaky red bark closely resembles sunburned skin, earning it the nickname “Tourist Tree.”

Nearby, volcanic You can brighten your skin with a sulfur mud bath or boost blood circulation with a waterfall.

The more hedonistic can dance away their troubles at Gros Islet's Friday Night Street Party. There, a huge sound system plays reggae and the streets are hazy with smoke from outdoor grills.

After returning to the resort, art The session nudges us toward something more abstract, paying homage to Matisse's late obsession with paper-cutting and Berry's own artwork inspired by the rippling female body.

Letting go of control and accepting accidents is a difficult but effective exercise in reducing anxiety.

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“What we expect never comes out the way we expect it to,” Berry says, not only of our works of art, but perhaps of life in general. “I'm never completely satisfied with my work. That's why I keep creating.”