Greetings to you,
My background and experience as a case worker , Transpersonal Art Therapist and Counsellor over 15 years, has led me to not only writing mindfulness stories for children, but working closely with families and individuals suffering from mental health, domestic violence, anxiety, depression, symptoms of PTSD, trauma and grief.
I believe in early intervention, meaning seeking support at the early stages of changes, be it in behaviors, levels of anxiety, past and present thoughts encroaching into our everyday lives.
How do we gain strategies to support our mental health?
Here are a few ideas to get in early with ourselves:
Waiting to see a GP and can't get in? Try www.blackdoginstitute.org they offer a FREE questionnaire, receive real results and information from your answers from professionals while you are waiting for an appointment with your GP, search this website in Resources & Support to find Programs, Life Skills & Strategies. It's your first step to seeking help with the skills we all have Searching Google!!!!
Lifeline: 13 11 14 - it is not just for what we all think it is. If you need to talk about anything, wonderful professionally trained supporter are on the end of the line 24/7 for you.
What would be useful that we can place into our everyday lives that become second nature? BREATHING - Have we been told to do this and thought : "This won't help" If so how does it work?
1st step: Slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth;
2nd step: Repeat 3 times - feel a slight difference? Try again.
3rd step : Use this each day when you feel you need it.
Waiting for a bus that's running late, feeling overwhelmed, rushing to an appointment, we all do this and it's exhausting.
Slowing ourselves down and taking a moment to breathe slowly, can become second nature.
Can Art Therapy explore area's we often avoid in ourselves? Yes, we explore our unconscious mind. The part of us not wanting to be explored at times, shutting down, avoiding, ignoring triggers.
Do we need to be an artist? No artistic experience is required, it is all in the process of our creations.
Father of Art Therapy: "Who looks outside, dreams: who looks inside awakes" - Carl Jung
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