USING YOUR 5 SENSES DURING ART JOURNALING TO MANAGE STRESS
IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE WAYS OF MANAGING ANXIETY OR STRESS, THIS IS HOW ART JOURNALING CAN BE USED AS A CREATIVE COPING STRATEGY
COPING STRATEGIES OR SELF-SOOTHING SKILLS ARE SIMPLE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO, WITHOUT THE HELP OF ANYONE ELSE, THAT BRINGS YOU INTO THE PRESENT MOMENT WITH A SENSE OF CALM TO BOTH YOUR MIND AND BODY.
Grounding yourself in the present moment (mindfulness) is a powerful self-soothing technique, bringing your mind home to your body, allows you to very quickly reduce anxiety and overwhelm.
One of the ways I like to do this with creativity is to journal from the 5 senses. It might sound complicated but all this means is that when you sit down to journal consider how you can open up your 5 senses to engage your mind while you are simultaneously engaging your body (with the creating). For me, it looks something like this: a hot drink (taste), pens with quotes on, textured journal covers and art materials - my chalk and oil pastels (touch), an intention from a card deck (sight), music (sound), incense or candles (smell).
Let’s dig into how you can tap into each one of the senses during art journaling:
TOUCH
Did you know that your skin is your largest organ and is highly sensitive with about 20 different types of nerve endings all sending messages to your brain? Tuning into your sense of touch can play a major supporting role in allowing you to relax and reduce stress.
There are so many opportunities to tune into your sense of touch while art journaling. Explore how your art materials feel, paint with your fingers, tear the paper instead of using scissors, or make a tactile cover for your journal.
SIGHT
Anxiety and stress can keep your mind stuck in one pattern of thought and often a change of visuals - a particularly meaningful or inspiring image - can be just the distraction your mind needs to disrupt those negative thought patterns.
I like to use card decks, affirmation or intention cards, as a visual to guide me during my journaling, as an inspiration piece and as a comforting image to return to if needed. I always stick this to my wall, right above my candle during my journaling time.
SOUND
Music can be a wonderful distraction for your mind and has been shown to slow the rhythms of the body, alter mood and influence behaviour.
You could choose to put on your favourite tunes, a relaxation soundtrack or even a meditation while you create, experiment and see what works for you.
Another way you can engage your sense of sound while art journaling is to listen in close as you create, what noise does your pen make as it scratches across the pages? Listen to the swirl of the water as you clean your brush,
SMELL
You’ve probably heard of aromatherapy for its role as a natural treatment for sleep problems, anxiety and stress. Your sense of smell is the sense tied most strongly to memory, a particular smell can trigger a particular memory or emotion or feeling. Incorporating the same smell again and again throughout your journaling sessions can train your brain to link this smell to a sense of safety and calmness.
Try lighting some candles before journaling or maybe the aroma of your coffee will do the trick for you, take note of what smells trigger a sense of calm for you and invite that into your journaling space every time. If you’re not into candles or oil burners throw the windows open, fresh air can play a big part in relieving stress too.
Continue to be present throughout and pay attention to other smells you experience, the smells of your paints for example.
TASTE
Engaging your sense of taste is not directly linked to your journaling but sipping on a coffee or smoothie or eating a favourite snack while you create is another way to keep your mind distracted and aligned with the familiar. Over time, doing this repeatedly, turning this into a ritual, building this habit allows the mind to link ‘coffee’ with calming journaling time, predicting what is coming next, and it feels happy being able to do that!
REMEMBER THIS:
The idea behind engaging your senses is to support you in being fully present in the moment, to focus completely on what you are doing and experiencing right then and there. It is only human to get distracted, don’t feel like you’ve failed if you do, simply bring your attention back to your journal and write 5 words: 1 thing you feel, smell, see, hear and taste. That simple act of creative self-care can be a really powerful coping strategy.
If you’d like to learn more about creative journaling. and how it can support your well-being why not enrol in our free class and get started today - sign up below.
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