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
Tag: therapeutic arts
An Eagle’s View: My Four Key Strategies for Mental Health Wellness
“Recovery is something that you have to work on every single day and it’s something that doesn’t get a day off” ~ Demi Lovato Photo by Rishi Jhajharia on Unsplash Throughout this blog I have shared tools that can help with anxiety, depression, trauma, bipolar, and psychosis. From breathing exercises to therapy, there are so… Continue reading An Eagle’s View: My Four Key Strategies for Mental Health Wellness
The “Whys” of Mental Illness
“You have survived everything you have been through, and you will survive this too. Stay for the person you will become. You are more than a bad day, or week, or month, or year, or even a decade. You are a future of multifarious possibility. You are another self at a point in future time… Continue reading The “Whys” of Mental Illness
An Introduction to Symptoms:
An Integral Mental Health Approach "Mental health is a deeply personal journey. Each person’s experiences, struggles, and strengths are unique, which means that the same approach won’t work for everyone. For far too long, mental healthcare has relied on a “one-size-fits-all” model, which often fails to address the complexity of an individual’s needs." ~ Amen… Continue reading An Introduction to Symptoms:
The Importance of Foundational and Wellness Needs for Mental Health
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Lao Tzu Originally I was writing this post thinking about needs associated with wellness and recovery, speaking to the needs that this blog series had explored. While writing about this, I also began to think of needs on a community level. Our individual experience… Continue reading The Importance of Foundational and Wellness Needs for Mental Health
Recovery Through Connection
"Connection is the energy between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued" ~ Brené Brown Photo By Meegan Simpson-Cooke Throughout this blog series I have mostly focused on people with lived experience of mental illness developing resilience through tools that they can explore on their own. In this post I am widening the circle… Continue reading Recovery Through Connection
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”
Mental Health Recovery Through Healing Trauma and Triggers
“To heal is to touch with love that which we previously touched with fear.” ~ Stephen Levine My mental illness is in part influenced by experiences in my past that have left a negative imprint on me. These layers of unprocessed feelings of fear, grief, anger and shame can be triggered in the present. Not… Continue reading Mental Health Recovery Through Healing Trauma and Triggers
A History of Art Making, Art Therapy, and Mental Illness
“Art opens the closets, airs out the cellars and attics. It brings healing.” – Julia Cameron This was found art from Salt Spring Island ~ Photo Credit Meegan Simpson-Cooke I like this quote by Julia Cameron, author of the Artist's Way and other books on reclaiming our creativity and realizing creative dreams. Many people with… Continue reading A History of Art Making, Art Therapy, and Mental Illness
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