Art therapy+
the joy I feel that I am alive and that I can now understand how to look after my mental health.
When my mental breakdown occurred 3 years ago, there were so few things I could manage on my day to day. Even my physical body was telling me I could no longer continue the way I had been doing (overdoing) things. But there was one thing that I managed and which filled me with so much joy and wellbeing. It was nurturing to my soul in ways that I find hard to convey in words.
And so in the midst of all the torment in my head, I made art, I made art for me, for my soul, for all the years that I had not looked after myself. I was not raised to understand self-care. All I saw around me growing up were plenty of women, working their minds, hearts and bodies out for the wellbeing of others. It seemed to me that was the only way. But my body did not forget how little I cared for it, and it took a big and scary period of three long years of recovery to understand it all for what it was. A cry for help from the deepest part of my soul. I am a wonderfully resilient woman, I spread joy every chance I get. I work for having a positive mindset and love wholeheartedly.
I will never forget the faces of my little children looking at mommy and not understanding what was happening. I am healing, and I am doing so together with them. Teaching them in the process the importance of self-care, self-compassion and self-love. It is all so much easier said than done on any given day but it is what I strive for it, and I rest and I am gentle with myself as I continue to navigate this wonderful life of mine.
I want to share a beautiful book I came across (above), which encouraged me to understand deeper the connection between art making, looking at art and well-being.
My art is inevitably a reflection of my life experiences and I love working on commission work for people who connect with my art and my message of our shared humanity and of mental health well-being.
Me on 9 October three years ago…
