Draw With Your Less Dominant Hand

Instructions: draw a picture with your less dominant hand. The picture can be realistic or abstract. 

Squiggle Design

Instructions: draw a scribble with your eyes open or closed. Have fun with it. Let your hands move however you want to. Look at the scribble from all angles. Look to see if there is any object in it that looks familiar or if you can find any part of it that attracts you. Color that part in and give the picture a title.

it's complicated.

Opposite Emotion

Instructions: (a little bit of DBT) Fold a piece of paper in half. On one side of the paper draw an emotion or action and on the other side the opposite emotion or action.

Discussion: Share the two emotions or actions and discuss the behaviors associated with them. Try to focus on the opposite emotion or action when you feel stressed, angry, or depressed. Discuss how “opposite action” can help individuals work through issues, confront situations, deal with distressing emotions, and engage in activities that they might otherwise avoid.

As usual I made a collage with images I found online. Although I don't encourage bottling up your authentic feelings sometimes accepting them might lead to feeling the opposite. In some cases not talking about your negative feelings makes them go away. Psychologists have a hard time establishing an accord on the matter. So every time I feel fear, sadness and anger I will accept them or think of things that make me feel the opposite emotion and then feel the respective opposite emotion.

Golden Egg

Instructions: Discuss the meaning of the golden egg. In yoga practices it often means being enlightened, the supreme highest self. One’s inner voice that is always calm and perfect, and connected to “the true self.” Next draw a golden egg or an enlightened figure/symbol of yourself.

Discussion: Discuss your associations to the egg and/or figure. Share the type, size, and color of the egg or symbol. Goals include self-awareness and exploration of ways to attain inner peace and knowledge.

I have drawn an egg which is similar to traditional Easter eggs in my country to help express my nationality and status. Nothing out of the ordinary, just bold colours on a grey background which goes to show the power of colour in fighting off depression.

Traffic Light

Instructions: Provide the outline of a typical traffic light (a vertical rectangle with three circles which will be colored red, yellow, and green) or have clients draw their own. Direct group members to filling the first circle red, the second yellow, and the third green. Next ask them to write or illustrate:

1.a goal/s next to the green circle

2. methods used to try to obtain the goal/s next to the yellow
circle

3. obstacles to achieving their goal/s next to the red circle.

Discussion: Examine each client’s aspirations and barriers to achieving them. Goals include problem solving and exploration of coping skills.

Power Thinking

Instructions: use lines and shapes to represent positive thoughts and healthy thinking (for example, being flexible, accepting change, being patient, taking one day at a time, accepting oneself, not filtering or catastrophizing, etc.).

Discussion: share your shapes and their “thinking strength.” Explore the importance of strengthening thinking in order to increase self-esteem, vigor, motivation, and hope.

 

 

 

 

You've got your dark line as a symbol of negative thinking and confusion and your yellow wheel as a symbol of how good it feels to identify errors in your thinking and correct them. Doing some virtual CBT has helped me become a more rational human being and realize thoughts are just thoughts, they don't make me who I am, although they hold a great power over my behaviour should they not be kept on a leash.

Rainbow Tree

Instructions: create your own unique “rainbow tree.” Think about what you would find at the end of the rainbow or at the top of the tree.

Discussion: Clients share the type of tree depicted and the way it might represent their hope for the future, and their present mood and attitude. Goals include exploration of mood and feeling, and a focus on optimism and positive thinking.

Here's my tree and at the end of the rainbow I can find the fruit of my labour of passion.