People turn to art for many reasons. For some, art is like food, nourishment for the senses, the soul. For others, it's a source of entertainment, a stimulating cultural distraction powerful enough to elicit laughs or conjure tears. But what about art's ability to help one work through issues, express emotions or simply relax?

In the midst of our overworked, sleep-deprived lives, taking time to engage in the arts - whether it's taking a weekly painting class or listening to classical music for 10 minutes each day - can be among the healthiest things we do for ourselves, experts say.

Art in some shape or form always has been a part of culture. People danced around fires, sang by the family piano or hammered precious metals into bracelets. Although these rituals may not have a space in our modern lives, finding time to make or observe beauty helps us forget our troubles and enjoy the moment.

``The arts can help replenish our energy so we can respond to the concerns in our lives,'' said Geoffrey Scott-Alexander, an expressive arts therapist in Albany and founder of Glass Lake Studio, a creative arts therapy training institute. ``It gives us a way to work with our problems instead of working on them, and that can be very transformative.''

Stress, as defined by Scott-Alexander, is the depletion of one's spiritual, emotional and physical energy. It's a malady that can strike anyone, especially in a competitive society that values productivity and achievement over inner peace.

Our defense: taking the time to refocus and care for ourselves. Scott-Alexander calls it ``reducing the noise level.''

It can be gentle and passive, like listening to music, reading poetry or visiting a museum, or it can be more expressive, like dancing, drumming or painting. ``Anything that opens your heart and brings beauty into your life,'' he said.

Others laud art's ability to help suspend reality or shift one's concentration from daily concerns to the process of producing art. And writing, drawing or taking an art class - anything that's satisfying and restful - can be a creative way of exploring the inner self and remedying stress.

Some use art to cope with work-related stress or life changes. Denie Whalen, an occupational therapist at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, first experienced the power of art as a teenager, after her mother died. Lacking grief counseling, Whalen began writing fiction to work through her pain. As a therapist, she has used writing and drawing exercises to help her own patients. Lately, Whalen paints to explore her feelings about changing careers and an uncertain future.

``Painting is meditative for me,'' she said. ``I try to be aware of what I bring to the painting. It's a way to get to know myself.''

Observing art or seeking entertainment can be just as powerful and healing. Films, music concerts, dance performances and even sporting events can reduce anxiety by helping one relax, spend time with others and, for a while, forget concerns. And people shouldn't feel guilty about plopping on the couch to watch a movie or spending the day at a ballgame, experts urge. Distraction is part of the process.

``If it takes you out of your situation for a brief time, it's served its purpose,'' said Rochelle Brener, an Albany poet and creative arts therapist. ``The problem is still there, but you're looking at it in a more relaxed perspective; you may see it in a different way.''

It's a shift of focus, said Scott-Alexander. Arts and entertainment reveal universal themes that show the similarities of life's struggles.

``It takes you out of the personal so you don't feel so alone,'' he said. ``It let's you feel yourself as part of humanity.''

From timesunion.com