Heart Strings Drawing

 Instructions from the book:

1 . Print out an outline of a heart from the Internet or, if you prefer, draw a large heart on the sheet of paper with the colored pencils. If you’ve printed a heart from the Internet, cut out the outline and then use glue to paste the heart on the paper.

2 . Inside the heart, write the feelings that your heart is holding at this moment. Using acrylic paint, match the emotions you feel to the different colors.

3 . In the area surrounding your heart, list the coping skills that will help you to heal. If you like, you can draw heart strings (lines) coming out from your heart, and then list the coping skills on those lines.

Questions for Discussion:

· What feelings has your heart been holding?

· How long have you been feeling this way?

· What does your heart need from you?

· How will you incorporate new coping skills into your life?

I have felt fear and sadness for some time now. It seems that the country I live in has a tendency of producing fearful and sad individuals. My heart needs courage to step out of my comfort zone and happiness to look at life in a positive manner. I have chosen coping skills that are easy to incorporate, I have incorporated some of them already and that has helped with some of my depression symptoms.

Family Drawing

 Instructions from the book:  

1.  Take five minutes to reflect on which members of your family have been important in your life. Determine who, if anyone, has been an essential part of your journey.

2 . Use a pencil to draw those family members onto paper. Be sure to include yourself in your drawing.

3 . Use colored pencils and oil pastels to add color to your art.

Questions for Discussion:

· Does the person you are standing next to relate to who you are closest to emotionally?

· How has their presence or absence in your life shaped who you are today?

· Is there anyone with whom you would like to nurture a stronger relationship?

I am standing between my mother and my father, as they are the ones that shaped me into the clueless wreck I am today. I view them responsible for all my psychological issues and the reason I am pictured next to them is a symbol of that. Try as I might to foster a stronger relationship with them I cannot help feeling they are more concerned with themselves than with me. Kudos to them.

Favorite Kind of Day

 Instructions from the book: 

1 . Spend at least five minutes thinking about what your ideal day would look like. You are free to do whatever you want to do. When would you get up? Would you spend the day alone or with other people? Would you stay home or go elsewhere? Think through all the details.
2 . Using a pencil, draw your favorite day on the paper. It can be one scene in one location or it can involve many activities.
3 . Using either your colored pencils or watercolors, add color to your drawing.

 

 Questions for Discussion:
· What feelings surfaced as you completed this exercise?
· What activities came up when you thought about how you would want to spend your time?
· If you had the power to choose how you want your life to be, what would that look like for you?

I did this exercise with a twist. Instead of drawing I made a collage with some images I found via Google images. The feeling that surfaced during this exercise was mostly frustration, as I am doing only part of what I would like to be doing on a daily basis. Some excitement, some hope that somehow my life will be put back on track. I would like to spend my time eating healthy, exercising and meditating, reading, sleeping, learning and creating. The feeling I would like to get out of doing all of these activities is bliss. 

My ideal life would consist of having an engaging job within the creative industries, having supporting friends and family, having the ideal body weight, sleeping as much as I need, bringing all my ideas to life with the knowledge I accumulate from the books I read, learning as much as possible about myself and the world around me and putting my body to work so as to have a happy hippocampus. Wish me luck everyone.