Whether you’re actively experiencing anxiety or would simply like to invest in regular self-care and proactive stress management, art therapist Shauna Kaendo recommends the following directive.
- Grab a piece of paper—the bigger the better—and some drawing materials, such as oil pastels or crayons. Tape the sheet of paper down to a flat surface.
- Choose a word that has been floating around in your head and focus on it as you scribble on the page—slow, fast, hard, light. Do this for at least one full minute.
- Breathe.
- If you feel like the word is still triggering you, crumple up the paper, then uncrumple it. Do it a few times. If you feel compelled to do so, fold the paper, tear it, submerge it in water—there is no wrong way to do this exercise.
- Breathe, and repeat with another word.
This excerpt is from a version of the article that was published in the November 2019 issue of alive Canada with the title “It’s Just Not My Thing.”
