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
Tag: art making
What Lies Ahead
It's okay to not have the answers yet. Continue your journey and trust the process. ~Simplereminders.com Photo by James Zwadlo on Unsplash The last couple months of my posts have explored in detail themes like healing the past, strengthening boundaries and connection and looking at contributing factors to mental illness. As much as I offer… Continue reading What Lies Ahead
The Impact of Social, Political and Global Factors on Mental Health
“The current ruling ontology denies any possibility of a social causation of mental illness. The chemico-biologization of mental illness is of course strictly commensurate with its depoliticization. Considering mental illness an individual chemico-biological problem has enormous benefits for capitalism. First, it reinforces Capital’s drive towards atomistic individualization (you are sick because of your brain chemistry).… Continue reading The Impact of Social, Political and Global Factors on Mental Health
Looking Back, Looking Forward: May is Mental Health Awareness Month
"Healing Yourself is Connected with Healing Others" Y. Ono Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a month to promote awareness and reduce stigma around mental illness and to offer support and resources to those with lived experience of mental illness, and their supporters. CMHA, the Canadian Mental… Continue reading Looking Back, Looking Forward: May is Mental Health Awareness Month
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
Bipolar and The Sleep Conundrum:
Exploring Causes of Insomnia and Creative Solutions “Sleep is the Best Meditation” ~The Dali Lama Insomnia can be one of the most frustrating and worrisome experiences when you have a mental illness. Insomnia can be the result of being anxious, depressed or manic or it can be a precursor to an episode. This post is… Continue reading Bipolar and The Sleep Conundrum:
Your Body as a Compass:
Discovering Your Body’s Wisdom about Wellness “...by having a healthier lifestyle, you can also improve your bipolar disorder. Eating well, exercising regularly, sleeping better, making healthier choices are all good for the brain.” Dr. Andrew A. Nierenberg Photo by Yannic Läderach on Unsplash Dear Readers, I believe one of the hardest lessons I have had… Continue reading Your Body as a Compass:
What Could Have Been: Grief and Mental Illness
“Grief never ends. But it changes. It is a passage not a place. Grief is not a sense of weakness or lack of faith. It is the price of love.” Author unknown I am writing this is the week of a new moon. A time of beginnings, a time of endings, and a time of… Continue reading What Could Have Been: Grief and Mental Illness
Coming Up for a Breath: Daily Walking, Community Art, and Nature
The dream of my life Is to lie down by a slow river And to stare in the light of the trees- To learn something by being nothing A little while but the rich Lens of attention. ~Mary Oliver, excerpt from Entering the Kingdom Before the next and final post in the emotional processing theme… Continue reading Coming Up for a Breath: Daily Walking, Community Art, and Nature
The Fear Continuum: Understanding Fear, Anxiety, and Psychosis
“The Best Use of Creativity is Imagination. The Worst Use of Creativity is Anxiety” Deepak Chopra This quote resonates with me because my anxiety is often about the worst-case scenarios that my imagination can create. It is so important to look at our thinking and how it fuels anxiety. But anxiety isn't just faulty thinking:… Continue reading The Fear Continuum: Understanding Fear, Anxiety, and Psychosis