Anxiety art (A guide)

In this brief post, we have compiled a list of anxiety art which expresses the way most of us who suffer from anxiety feel. 

This anxiety art should encourage you to relate and understand that there are many other people out there who may also suffer from anxiety and have used anxiety art to express themselves.

Below each anxiety art, we will briefly explain what we see.

If you have any anxiety art you want to add to this list then please send in your suggestions in the comments below.

Anxiety art

Anxiety art: In this art we see a lot of very scary looking hands reaching out to a character which is almost crouching to avoid the hands.

The black and white used in this art make us see that life sometimes can really be black and white.

It can feel like we only have one of two options. To be brave and courageous or to cower underneath the shadow of anxiety. 

Interestingly the anxiety art portrays that the man or woman doesn’t close off all his or her eyes, he or she only blocks one-off with his or her hand, maybe he or she is looking for his or her opportunity to escape or maybe they just like to see what’s about to get them.

I guess we can take some positives from this cloudy anxiety art piece.

We couldn’t locate the artists for this magnificent piece.

Anxiety art: In this anxiety art we see a character which has its eyes both covered with its arms and its hair extended almost as if it has been shocked by electricity causing its hair to stand out.

Anxious people often close their eyes and try to avoid people or issues in front of them.

It is very common to see this done and so this art piece represents almost any anxious person you may have come across.

I can’t see many positives in this piece aside from its colour.

I also couldn’t make out who painted this piece.

Anxiety art: In this anxiety art we see a lady who has her lips puffed out, almost as if she is sighing about something which has just occurred.

She has her palms placed against her cheeks, pushing them up, almost as if in shock of what may have just happened.

The negative contrast used in this piece of work makes us think about the sadness that is anxiety and how it can lead us to depression if not managed correctly.

This piece was signed off as “RAM 2016”

Anxiety art: In This anxiety art we see someone who has their mouth open and a bunch of words stuck in there, maybe these words are being shouted as the mouth is open much wider than it would be if one was simply speaking in a normal voice.

In Fact, it seems like a scream.  The words in her mouth are: CALM THE —- DOWN AND CHEER THE —- UP- Art therapy for anxiety & depression by Maggie Mclean.

Interestingly she has one eye open and the other eye closed.

This is a common theme for people who are anxious and scared about something.

They will tend to close one eye and open the other almost as if they are looking for their opportunity to escape or for some reason they want to see and confront their fears, or at least some part of their mind wants to.

Anxiety art: In this anxiety art we see the frame of what looks to be a man but rather than soft bits we see the wiring and the ends have been done in a manner where they would certainly hurt anyone who came to close.

The tips have also been done with a tool which can easily be removed.

We even see some of these tools above the structures head, almost as if they have just popped off as soon as the structure was placed on the surface.

What I get from this art is the fact that there are a lot of people with anxiety who are hard to help, who often push people away because of their anxiety and who may be unreliable friends.

On the other hand it also reflects how carefully we should treat those who have anxiety to ensure we don’t cause them to fall apart.

We must be conscious and considerate towards their strengths and weaknesses.

We couldn’t locate who created this piece.

Anxiety art: In this anxiety arrt we see a hand which comes in front of a character’s face and shuts his lips.

We don’t see any more details as to where this hand has come from but we could guess it comes from their head.

Again the black and grey contrast reflects the mood of people who suffer from anxiety may be feeling and how easy it is to go from feeling anxious about having depression or even severe anxiety.

This piece was created by ARAMIS NIETO.

Anxiety art: In this anxiety art we see a woman looking into the distance but covering most of her face with a book and that book we see the same image.

We could imagine that this sequence goes on for as long as the eyes can see.

People who have anxiety will naturally shy away from things that bring them out of their comfort zones and prefer to stay away from any limelight.

This means they spend most of their time observing others rather than participating.

Anxiety art: In this anxiety art piece we see a character with many faces screaming in a dark background.

This art reminds me of many anxiety sufferers who suffer in silence and hence the screams are only in their heads and neve out loud.

Suffering in silence means that they rarely ever get help and their friends or family are not even aware that they carry such a burden.

If you are reading this and you suffer from anxiety then sharing with your family is one of the best things you may be able to do for yourself.

Your family and friends will be able to help you and will hopefully be considerate to your dilemma.

Anxiety art:

In this anxiety art piece we see a woman who looks broker as she has a lot of cracks on her face neck and shoulder.

Oddly enough her ears seem perfectly fine and even bigger than normal ears.

It may be because she spends so much time listening and absorbing information which makes her even more anxious. 

Her eyes are pointed downwards which implies she is low on confidence or not ready to face her challenges. 

From her head rises the root of a three which has a broken clock.

To me this signifies the amount of time she has suffered or how much time she may have left before she reaches her breaking point, if she hasn’t already reached it as suggested by the broken clock.

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In this section, you will find anxiety art, you will also find over 200 art therapy prompts and and art therapy ideas.

Art therapy prompts 

1. Practice drawing or building everything that comes to mind;
2. Different combination of colors or techniques
3. Different combinations of shapes
4. Natural studies; landscapes, portrait, human body, textures
5. Studies by favorite artists.
6. Draw with a non-dominant hand
7. Abstract shapes
8. Lots of words
9. Your school
10. Teacher and favorite subject
11. The cartoon
12. Your family
13. Planet in 2055
14. An event that marked you
15. Someone special in your life
16. Someone you haven’t talked to in a long time
17. If you had a superpower, what would it be? Just draw it!
18. Your favorite place in the entourage
19. Your favorite artist
20. If Facebook were a person
21. If you could fly the way you see the world
22. Your hometown
23. The city where you live now
24. Favorite bird
25. Your pet

26. Favorite coffee
27. Favorite emotion
28. The most difficult emotion to control
29. Your job
30. If Youtube were a person
31. Draw your favorite flowers
32. Illustrate what sadness looks like for you
33. Draw based on a photo
34. Draw a city that starts with the same letter as your name
35. Draw what hope looks like to you
36. The interior of your living room
37. A plant in your home
38. Kitchen utensils, such as a whisk or a ladle
39. A self-portrait
40. A family photo that you love
41. A famous person you admire
42. Your feet (or someone else’s feet)
43. Your hands (or someone else’s hands)
44. A necklace, ring, or other type of jewelry — combine them in a still life
45. A furry friend (here is a good idea to work with a photo)
46. A bouquet of flowers (try using colored pencils)
47. Trees seen from your window
48. The facade of your favorite building
49. The objects on your coffee table
50. Your most striking shoes

51. A small animal
52. Fresh fruit cut in half (citrus works well)
53. House keys with your keychain
54. A cup of coffee and a dessert from a local cafe
55. An interesting object on your shelf
56. Your favorite wild animal
57. Someone’s head seen from behind
58. Draw someone on public transport
59. Play with perspective: See a building or bridge from below
60. Wrinkled fabric
61. A landscape you love (like a place you went on vacation)
62. A copy of your favorite painting or sculpture (extra points if you are in a museum)
63. Recreate scientific illustrations of insects or animals (such as John James Audubon’s)
64. Your close eye
65. An object on a glass plate
66. What are you wearing today
67. The view from your window
68. What you see from the rearview mirror of your car
69. Your dinner yesterday …
70. … Before you prepared it (the ingredients)
71. An accumulation of fungi
72. A collection of your favorite objects
73. An historic event
74. Something that upsets you
75. Something that makes you happy

76.  Draw your best friend
77. Illustrate a children’s book
78. Draw on a tote bag
79. Draw words in a foreign language
80. Favorite part of your body
81. A famous speech
82. A dream that you recently had
83. A random person
84. Have a trip to your favorite city
85. Your favorite store
86. Your favorite clothing item
87. Give life to your slippers
88. Draw your favorite weather
89. The place where you last read
90. Favorite character
91. Imagine that objects could talk
92. Imagine a world without technology
93. Draw what love means to you
94. Draw as you see the check
95. Draw an ideal world
96. What does the fire look like?
97. A secret place
98. A hidden desire
99. How do you think others perceive you
100. How would you like to be in the future.

Art therapy ideas

1. Draw outdoors
2. Paint the music you hear
3. Recreate a place where you feel safe
4. Art in nature (Make a work in nature with the materials available)
5. Make a sculpture with recyclable material
6. Paint on our skin
7. Write a poem
8. Capture shadows
9. Draw a happy memory
10. Create art from your own name
11. Create a clay sculpture of anger
12. Draw in the dark
13. Activity with a balloon (Write on a piece of paper all your negative emotions then let the balloon fly away along with your worries)
14. Portray someone who changed your life
15. Draw in the sand
16. Destroy objects that you no longer need (be careful)
17. Draw or write about what scares you
18. Paint your best friend
19. Draw on your face. 
20. Make a photo frame. 
21. Finger paint your favourite flower
22. Paint with your feet
23. Sew Stones. Yes yes what you read. 
24. Make aXXL MANDALA made of wool thread. 
25. Build a birdhouse

26. Make a heart-shaped stamp from a cardboard tube
27. Make a wreath of colorful flowers
28. Cute animals made of paper hearts
29. Learn simple origami
30. Create the shape of your favorite object from recyclable materials
31. Make a handmade gift for a special someone
32. Make a Happy Birthday card
33. Draw how your anger feels
34. Imagine that your sadness is a real person
35. Imagine that your grief is a real person
36. Write 10 things you are grateful for
37. Write a love letter
38. Model your own fridge magnets
39. Make a DIY stress ball from a balloon
40. Make some plastic bottle flowers
41. Make friendships bracelets
42. Fill a snowglobe with the filling of your choice
43. Draw on the glass
44. Go cloud gazing
45. Try to draw what would be at the end of a rainbow
46. Learn to dance
47. Learn how to pronounce your name in different languages
48. Put on your favorite music and move your body
49. Draw using watercolors / gouache or something you have never used before
50. Draw with your left hand if you are right-handed

51. Draw with your right hand if you are left-handed
52. Turn a poem into a drawing
53. Draw your favorite song
54. Draw a beautiful memory
55. Draw a sad memory
56. Draw your future
57. Draw using makeup products
58. Build a map for a non-existent city.
59. Build something using lego pieces.
60. Reorganize your library.
61. Draw the sketch of your dream home.
62. Draw your family from the past, present and future.
63. Use the playdough to shape your favorite pet.
64. Build something using the books in your library.
65. Sketch your favorite place in the world
66. Sew the shape of a sun, a heart or a butterfly on your favorite t-shirt
67. Letters made of elements of nature
68. Collages from favorite pictures
69. Painted stones
70. Compositions with elements of nature
71. Butterfly or fairy wings, decorated with flowers and leaves
72. The woven picture
73. Start a small garden on the balcony
74. Mandalas decorated with elements of nature
75. Try fun and educational mobile apps

76. Discover the scientist in you
77. Learn how to create your own games in School Code
78. Start writing a diary
79. Write about the things you are grateful for
80. Write down your wishes and dreams
81. Write a letter to a person who is no longer in your life
82. Write a letter for you in the future
83. Watch movies that spark your creativity
84. Learn how to pack a gift box
85. Discover new types of painting
86. Make a family photo album
87. Play with stickers
88. Make a floral composition
89. Learn how to combine colors with each other
90. Learn to cook
91. Recreate a family recipe
92. Rearrange your pantry according to colors
93. Learn to sew
94. Spend a few hours studying the plants
95. Admire the structure of a tree
96. Illustrates old pictures
97. Learn to edit pictures like a pro
98. Take 100 photos “from another perspective”
99. Reflect on a change of look.
100. Create your own bullet journal.

Treatment for anxiety

Treatment for anxiety falls into two categories: psychotherapy and medication.

Medications commonly used to treat anxiety include antidepressants and sedatives.

A therapist or psychologist can help you learn to apply certain tools and strategies to deal with anxiety when it starts.

For some people, drug treatment is not necessary, and lifestyle changes may be enough to cope with the symptoms.

If you are suffering from depression, anxiety, loneliness or any similar mental health issue then seeking help for it may be a good option.

Mental health issues such as depression, loneliness and anxiety can affect anyone of us.

If you are under 18 then CAMHS, an NHS run programme may just be the answer for your mental health struggles.

You should look to see if you meet the CAMHS referral criteria and then fill in the CAMHS referral form.