Self-care is an important part of mental health. What to do to preserve a positive sense of self and wellbeing despite life challenges and stressors? For World Mental Health Day, I thought I would post about self-care strategies.

Mindfulness activities, where one takes time to appreciate the present, can have a positive impact on mental health. When exploring coping strategies for big emotions with children and adolescents, I offer to do a mindfulness drawing activity. We put calm music on and we draw together with limited language. We reflect on how this activity makes us feel at the end.

This image was drawn with children whilst waiting to go on stage for a big production show. As we were drawing, children commented on how it feels to draw such images. They said they felt calm and focused. They noted it helped them forget their anxieties about going on stage and performing.

My self-care activities as a psychologist! I particularly enjoy drawing and painting. I like walking in the woods, camping, gardening and connect with nature. I also enjoy meeting up with friends and connect with people. I like cooking a good meal for others. A cuddle on the sofa with my children is priceless…

Image taken from the CBT Art Activity Book by Jennifer Guest