5 min read

If you're feeling stressed right now, I've got you! Some of the popular stress-relieving activities are going out with friends, journaling, or exercising. If that's not working for you, you might want to try making art.

You've probably heard that one of the ways of relieving stress is doodling and coloring. That's right - your favorite activity as a child is one of the many ways you could alleviate stress and anxiety. That's the main reason why adult coloring books were created; to allow people to relax, even if they're not artists.

In fact, a study that was published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found that engaging in artistic activities for 45 minutes is an effective way to reduce tension by lowering cortisol level, which is also dubbed as the stress hormone. So, yes, art-making is a stress-relieving activity that is beneficial for your mental health.

I recently found a new way to relax and de-stress, and that is using some of Pixomatic's tools. You can of course create amazing compositions with Pixomatic, like double exposure images for instance. But the tools that I'll guide you through in this blog post will help your mind drift away. So, you don't have to be an artist to use them. Let's go through all the stress-relieving tools that will make you feel better in seconds!

1. Whiten 

yellow teeth

I find this tool to be the most satisfying one. There’s something pleasurable about cleaning or seeing someone clean, you know, like the sofa cleaning videos that have taken over the internet. To get the maximum amount of satisfaction, find images of yellow teeth - the yellower, the better. Tap on Face, then select Whiten. Set the intensity of the brush to the maximum by dragging the slider to the right, and brush over the teeth. Watch them turn from canary yellow to pure white. Now, click Apply. We wish teeth whitening was that easy!

If you want to take it to the next level, I've got your back. Click on the Face tool again, but this time, select Smooth Skin. Brush over the teeth and watch them turn into porcelain. Set the intensity to 100% to get the best effect. 

Now, the teeth look very fake and surrealistic, just like when Ross Geller got his teeth whitened before his date. But who cares, we’re relaxed now!

2. Distort

distort

If you want your mind to drift as far away as possible, use the distort tool. You don’t even have to think to use it because you’ll feel like you’re being hypnotized, which is a good thing when you’re stressed. First, pick an image, preferably one that contains many colors, then click on Distort. Choose the reshape tool and move your clicker, finger, or pen in a circular motion. Watch the colors blend beautifully!

3. Blemish

pimples

If you find pleasure in popping pimples, I’ve got a better and a more hygienic alternative for you. The blemish tool, which is a photo retouch tool, removes pimples instantly, just like magic. To use this tool, click on Face, and then select Blemish. Drag the slider to the left or right to decrease or increase the size of the brush, respectively. Now, all you have to do is tap on the pimples and watch them disappear. Click on the purple icon at your right to see the before and after results.

4. Draw

girl with denim jacket

You had certainly found yourself doodling or coloring when you were bored or stressed. In this day and age, where everything is digitalized, you don’t always carry pens and papers with you. Instead, you can use Pixomatic’s Draw tool to doodle your worries away. Pick any image you want, and use the Draw feature that includes five brushes and a complete set of colors.

5. Magic Brush

beach

A good magician leaves people satisfied, and this is exactly what Pixomatic’s Magic brush does. This object removal tool allows you to remove unwanted elements from your photos instantly. It’s satisfying to see things disappear, and it’s possible to do that with the magic brush. Click on Heal and select Magic Brush. All you have to do now is brush over the items and watch them disappear. 

It's now your turn to try these amazing stress-relieving tools!