“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” — Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness The light patterns in this picture captured my eye as I was walking. On my daily walks, when I see with my visual eye, I am present. Across the spectrum of mental health symptoms… Continue reading Therapeutic Creativity for Presence and Flow
Category: mental health recovery
Therapeutic Creativity for Relaxation
In order to create, we draw from our inner well. This inner well, an artistic reservoir, is ideally like a well-stocked fish pond… If we don’t give some attention to upkeep, our well is apt to become depleted, stagnant, or blocked…As artists, we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously… Continue reading Therapeutic Creativity for Relaxation
Video Blog: How Perfectionism and Self-Compassion Co-Exist
"Orca Oracle" Therapeutic Art by Meegan Simpson-Cooke It feels right that before making more videos about creativity and mental health recovery to approach what is often an elephant in the room when we talk about creativity: perfectionism. Many people believe that they are not creative or that their creativity is not good enough. Similarly, people… Continue reading Video Blog: How Perfectionism and Self-Compassion Co-Exist
A Mini Break This Week
Photo from Government House, Victoria, BC The day after tomorrow I have a medical procedure. I was going to write a post on health issues and mental health for this week but I realized what I most needed was to focus on rest and preparing for the procedure. I am posting this a day earlier… Continue reading A Mini Break This Week
Mental Health in the Garden: A Photographic Journey of My Work Week
“My garden is my favorite teacher.” – Betsy Garmon This is the second year that I have spent working for my aunt's gardening business, Inspired Market Gardens. She sells flowers, vegetable and herb plants as well as fresh cut flowers. I water, fertalize, transplant and help customers. This year I reflected on what this work… Continue reading Mental Health in the Garden: A Photographic Journey of My Work Week
Mental Health Questions That Keep Me Curious: How Broad Reflection Can Guide Mental Health Recovery
Photo by Ryan Hutton on Unsplash Most of my mental health journey I have been focused on navigating crisis, staying well and managing everyday life. Really sitting with the broader questions of mental health has felt like a bit of a luxury. However, as I started writing more about mental health, these deeper questions have… Continue reading Mental Health Questions That Keep Me Curious: How Broad Reflection Can Guide Mental Health Recovery
Seasons of Ambiguity: Mental Health Challenges in the Spring and Summer Months
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
🩵Returning to Light: Reclaiming Energy, and Mental Health🩵
Last week I had a good therapy session. What emerged was my need to look at where I felt obligated, where I felt energy drain, and make some small but significant changes to help me relax. I wanted also to free up energy to go at least once a week and be in nature. I… Continue reading 🩵Returning to Light: Reclaiming Energy, and Mental Health🩵
Reflecting on the Relationship and Similarities Between Anxiety and Psychosis
Photo by Uday Mittal on Unsplash I have written in earlier posts about the idea of anxiety and psychosis as part of a continuum, a spectrum of fear-based symptoms. This post is inspired from questions that I have around the relationship between anxiety and psychosis. I am not writing in a professional capacity as a… Continue reading Reflecting on the Relationship and Similarities Between Anxiety and Psychosis
Mental Health Crossroads: Finding Perspective in Failure
Heart at A Crossroad by Meegan If you've been reading this blog for the last couple months, you would know that I am enjoying messy, freeing, more abstract art making. I've been reflecting on what is pulling me towards this art process. Perhaps I am making messy art because it is more representative to me… Continue reading Mental Health Crossroads: Finding Perspective in Failure