Creative Stress & Anxiety Release
I'm so happy you're taking some time in your day for creative self-care. This is a simple 13-min therapeutic art activity to help you release stress and anxiety.
Instructions
- Find a quiet spot in your house or garden and get your art materials ready. You will have a more immersive experience if you switch your phone on silent and remove any distractions.
- You will need: Paper and any art materials you have around you (e.g. coloured pencils, markers, crayons, or pens). You will also need some scissors and glue for the second part of the activity. If you don't have glue, you can simply lay out the collage pieces without sticking them to the page.
- Please keep in mind: Therapeutic art is not about making something that looks beautiful (although that can sometimes happen). It's simply about expressing yourself in a different language to words alone.
- It's time to get creative :)
- Use the integration prompts below to make the most of your experience.
What next? The power of integration
The process of integration involves understanding and incorporating the insights, emotions, and changes that may arise during therapeutic artmaking into your everyday life. Integration is a vital aspect of the therapeutic experience, as it can lead to insights, emotions, and shifts in perspective.
Be gentle on yourself after you do these exercises. Art and somatic therapy can bring our subconscious material to the forefront and it's important we give ourselves time to process and integrate these experiences.
Here are some suggestions for integration tools you may find supportive:
- Journaling: Write in a journal to reflect on your experiences, thoughts, and emotions related to the session. The reflective journaling prompts can be useful for this.
- Nature: Go outside and take a gentle walk to ground yourself.
- Take it slow and nourish yourself: Pay attention to what your body needs. Perhaps it's a nap, some hydration, or a nourishing meal.
- Somatic practice: Listen to this free 7-min grounding practice to help your nervous system move into a state of regulation.
- Connection: Spend time with supportive friends and family around you. This could also include cuddling your pet.
- Revisit the artwork: Keep the artwork you make and revisit this after some time has passed. You might uncover new insights that were less clear when you first made it.
Don't forget that integration looks different for everyone. It's about learning what best attunes to your unique nervous system.
Feedback
Did you enjoy this activity? You can revisit this resource as many times as you like, you will have new insights each time. You'll receive an email with a link to this page.
I always love hearing about your artmaking - if you'd like to share your experience or have any questions, simply reach out to Julia at [email protected]
Ready to get more creative?
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Reconnect Community
Join a community of like-minded people for regular creative wellbeing workshops. You'll also get access to resources that support your creativity, personal development and growth.
Individual Art Therapy
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