How art helped a man cope with mental hardship, from OCD to the death of his sister
PHOTO GALLERY LINK
An illustrator's brutally honest and witty take on living with mental illness
I've been reading a lot about using art to help deal with stress and anxieties. As a homeschooling mom of 4, I know all too well about stress and anxiety. The roads I've travelled to get to this exact place in my life weren't all paved and downhill. I've used art as a creative outlet before and I'm sure I'll do it again. Some people enjoy crocheting or knitting, others not so much they'd rather make a collage or sing in the shower at the top of their lungs.
Now that the weather has turned cold and wet we're becoming more and more idle in our days. I've noticed the kids bickering more. Chris, who loves being outside and fixing things, is staying in more and joining in on the maddness. I'm over this hibernation. Winter just officially began and I'm ready to do all I can to get these kids outside and let some cloudy sunshine kiss our faces.
I thought about joining a paint night with the kids, but they are mostly for grownups to paint and drink wine.
I found an activity on pinterest where you make your own unique road sign. This activity would allows us to choose a positive direction based on self-acceptance and appreciation for ourselves.
We went to the Baltimore Museum of Art and we participated in a postcard exhibit. You wrote on the postcard what you thought "Home" meant. On another sticky label you wrote your address. Two weeks later the postcards were mailed. We didn't get the ones we filled out, but it continued our interesting conversation when the one that arrived.
Using index cards as pretend postcard I want the kids to write encouraging words and we can mail them to others or use for each other. Sometimes a simple drawing or a phrase can make a world of difference to our moods.
Making a large circle and telling the kids --this is a crystal ball. Put in the crystal ball all the things you see for yourself in the next few weeks or months.
Using a poster board trace the part of the body that holds the most stress. For some of us its our guts, others our brain, and some our chest. Laying down on the poster board and having someone trace that part of your body you can step back and fill that space with all the feelings it's been holding.
Nurturing a true self-love for a body’s abilities rather than perceived liabilities is a vital step towards living a physically and emotionally healthy lifestyle.
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