When we think of the spring and summer months, we often think of the return of longer days, spending more time outside, and being more social. People are often grateful for winter to be over and for the return of long sunny warm days. Yesterday my family was walking together and so many people were… Continue reading Seasons of Ambiguity: Mental Health Challenges in the Spring and Summer Months
Category: creative expression
Intuitive Mental Health Recovery: Letting Your Body, Your Feelings, and Your Creativity Lead You to Health
“When you reach the end of what you should know, you will be at the beginning of what you should sense.”― Kahlil Gibrán, Sand and Foam Dear Readers, Today I am tired. In a world that favours doing, and being productive, it is hard to feel tired. I have a restlessness that feels better if I am… Continue reading Intuitive Mental Health Recovery: Letting Your Body, Your Feelings, and Your Creativity Lead You to Health
Experimenting with Art: A Mirror for Recovery
These cooler, shorter days have encouraged more art exploration, as well as catching up on needed sleep and rest. I recently read an article about the difference between art therapy and therapeutic art making that defined therapeutic art making as focusing more on the product than the process. The article went on to say that… Continue reading Experimenting with Art: A Mirror for Recovery
Welcome Back💚
This year has been full of ups and downs, extensive emotional processing, and working how to respond to challenges. I am growing, feeling my way through it but it's not easy. When learning/challenges are served at such an accelerated pace, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. What I am grateful for is that we are… Continue reading Welcome Back💚
Mental Health Milestones: Celebrations In Your Recovery Journey
Your mental health recovery is a journey of self-discovery and resilience ~QuoteHive Photo by Javon Swaby: https://www.pexels.com/photo/selective-focus-photography-of-sparkler-1697902/ I am going on holiday this week and next and so I am posting this early. The holiday is a celebration of a milestone birthday and also a celebration of almost a year's worth of blogging mapping out… Continue reading Mental Health Milestones: Celebrations In Your Recovery Journey
World Suicide Prevention Month
"Your life matters"~Unknown Photo by Sydney Sang: https://www.pexels.com/photo/suicide-awareness-month-yellow-ribbon-display-33699793/ This post was challenging to write. Just thinking about suicide is triggering for me. It is hard to look at the alarming rates of suicide, to think of people I know who have taken their lives and to remember times when I felt suicidal. For many people… Continue reading World Suicide Prevention Month
Post-Episode Recovery: “A Slow Build”
“Sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough” Unknown I think this quote reminds me of how mental health episodes can lead to important life changes and self-understanding. Perhaps my biggest breakthrough after my last episode was returning to lifestyle choices and a life balance that supported my own wellness. Right after… Continue reading Post-Episode Recovery: “A Slow Build”
Reflections on Adulthood and Recovery
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings Design by Suzanne Nicholl It's a birthday milestone today. It has me reflecting on stages of life, growth, and learning edges. When I look back at myself as a young adult, I see someone who was engaged in an active… Continue reading Reflections on Adulthood and Recovery
How Art Therapy and Mental Health Recovery Values Align
“Art is a way of recognizing oneself” ~ Louise Bourgeois This blog post weaves in material from a paper that I wrote about mental health recovery and art therapy. The topic of the paper is that mental health recovery principles align naturally with art therapy and that people with lived experience of mental illness can… Continue reading How Art Therapy and Mental Health Recovery Values Align
When Talking Isn’t Enough:
Somatic Therapy, Mental Health, and Healing Trauma “Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.” ~ Dr. Peter Levine I watched Dr. Peter Levine’s rare somatic therapy demonstrations. You can watch them on YouTube at https://youtu.be/_0QVKXU2wMI It is amazing how intuitive, gentle, and compassionate… Continue reading When Talking Isn’t Enough: