Adult

Being creative is one of my favourite ways to reduce the stress in my life.

I have found that when I am stressed I get irritable and/or depressed, sleep badly, comfort eat and am not a very pleasant person to be around.  Maybe you can relate to some of these, or maybe you “share” your stress in other ways.

Creative activities provide a positive way to express our emotions.  They are able to shift a bad mood quickly while giving a opportunity to work through our emotional responses to situations.

A simple non-directive technique I use with clients is to get them to draw an abstract picture of how they are currently feeling and then to do a second artwork focusing on how they would like to feel.  This is an activity you can also do at home to help manage stress.

Art Exercise 1:  How Are You Feeling Right Now?

(Time needed: 30-40 minutes)

Equipment

• Paper
• Drawing or painting materials- Crayons/coloured pencils/paint (I like to use oil pastels as I can blend the colours as I draw)

Exercise

1.  Find a quiet place that you can sit comfortably without interruption.
2. Close your eyes and focus on how you are currently feeling.  Visualise this feeling.  What colour is it?  What shape is it? Does it have jagged or smooth edges?  Is is disjointed or does it flow?
3. Using your drawing or painting materials, draw your feeling on the paper.  Take your time and try to fill the whole page with colour and shape.  Your drawing does not have to look like anything, it is just an expression of your current feelings.
4. Once you have finished, look at your art and write a list of words to describe it and your feelings about it.

Art Exercise 2:  How Would You Like to Feel? 

(Time needed: 30-40 minutes)

Equipment

• Paper
• Drawing or painting materials (as for Exercise 1)

Exercise

1.  Continue to sit in your quiet place.
2. Close your eyes and focus on how you would like to feel.  Visualise this feeling.  What colour is it?  What shape is it? Does it have jagged or smooth edges?  Is is disjointed or does it flow?
3. Using your drawing or painting materials, draw your feeling on the paper.  Take your time and try to fill the whole page with colour and shape.  Your drawing does not have to look like anything, it is just an expression of how you would like to be feeling.
4. Once you have finished, look at your art and write a list of words to describe it and your feelings about it.
5. Place your two finished art works and your list of descriptive words next to each other.  Compare the two.  How do you feel when you look at your second drawing?  What can you change in your life to feel more like your second drawing?
6. Place your second drawing in a place where you can see it each day.  You might like to save it on your phone/computer or use it as a screen saver.  When you start to feel yourself getting stressed, look at your drawing and focus on the feelings it brings up for you.

If you need further information about these activities, or would like to do them with a trained art therapist, contact Vicki at The Cr3ative Space.  I can help you work through your feelings and develop a toolbox of strategies to help you manage stress.