The arts doctor is in. You can now step out of yourself

Far from being non-essential, arts activities can improve mental health and well-being.

- Clarissa Oon

It was not your usual workshop icebreaker. We were asked to introduce ourselves not by our job titles, but to share a word describing how we felt as we entered the room.

It set the tone for a day of divesting the many hats we wear and the burdens we carry. I was among some 50 participants at the recent Intermission, a well-being day for those working in the arts, organised annually by Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay since 2023 after Covid-19. As it was my first time guided by professionals who use the arts for therapy and positive social change, I entered the workshops totally unsure of what to expect.

By evening, I found myself emotionally refreshed. I had created a series of illustrations through prompts tapping into some of my deepest memories, and thrown all inhibitions to the wind pounding away at an African djembe drum in a drumming circle. The workshop facilitators had created a safe space for the exchange of personal stories among participants who, like me, felt worn out by the work of caring for others, and of judging and being judged. As one of them told me, "I left Intermission feeling less alone."

The experience highlighted for me something a lot of people don't know about the arts - that it is not just fodder for entertainment or intellectual reflection. In the hands of sensitive and trained facilitators, music, theatre and other arts can help rejuvenate and heal the spirit.

Aside from a small but growing pool of arts therapists and applied arts practitioners, a number of arts organisations here are active in this space. They include Chinese music ensemble The Teng Company, which has a music therapy programme geared towards relieving anxiety and enhancing memory among beneficiaries, and ArtsWok Collaborative, which has opened up end-of-life conversations among the elderly and their families through community exhibitions and other arts activities.