Anxiety robs us of our power in the present.
Drawing takes that power back.
I’ve experienced crippling anxiety for as long as I can remember. Not the usual ‘jitters before a talk’ kind, but the ‘burnout so bad that I got really physically ill and didn’t get out of bed for 6 months’ kind (sums up my 2016-2017).
I’ve tried meditation, exercise, journaling, hypnotherapy, tree bathing, self help books - you name it, I’ve attempted it.
The one thing that has actually helped?
Visualising the mess in my head.
Because drawing shuts up our over active amygdala by forcing us to be right in this moment. You can’t panic about the terrifying futility of the future when you are trying to draw a fox (my favourite!).
I’ve harnessed this basic neuroscience through 3 visual models that will help you divert the freak out:
The circle of now
Draw two circles on a piece of paper - one that is much larger than the other.
In the small circle, write NOW. In the big circle, write NOT NOW.
Mind map all the shit that you are worrying about that ISN'T HAPPENING right now around the big circle - use icons, squiggles, keywords, whatever to get it off your chest.
Then mindmap what is actually happening NOW. You’ll laugh at the lies your brain is telling you & have a clear outline of what you can control RIGHT NOW
Barbara vs reality
I call my anxious Brain babs. Draw a big circle with a line down the middle. The left side is the name of your anxious brain (the more hilarious the better).
The right side is YOU - your core compassionate self.
Map the horrible shit Babs is telling you on the left. Then counteract every single thing on the other side, the real you, on the right. You’ll finish feeling calmer and kinder to yourself.
A to Z
Anxiety make us think we don’t have control, when we do. A to Z helps you work out what you can actually do to move you forward.
Draw a Start sign on the left of the page, and end sign on the right with a visual of the goal you want to achieve. Draw a line between them. Plot all the little steps you need to do to get from A to Z. Then start with the first baby step.