Categories
Healing Art Stress reduction

Open the Door to Healing!

How’d you like to open your door to stress reduction?   Let’s begin with the cause of your stress. Are you overworked, sleeping little, worried about your family, struggling at work, overweight, or just plain worn out.

I was worn out when I was my mother’s caregiver.  For a year I woke up several times during the night to, “Eileen!”   Mom lived with me.  I was was too overwhelmed by taking care of her.  I couldn’t see beyond this.  I was so tired.

Does this sound like you?  There’s support and help for you.

Sit down.  Set your timer to five minutes.  Close your eyes.  Now imagine yourself sitting on top of a mountain taking in the warmth of the sun. Feel the healing as you take in the sounds of the moment.  Can you imagine the wind whirling, birds tweeting and other sounds of nature?

Five minutes are up!  How do you feel?  Calmer? More focused? More ease? Are you smiling?   You’ve just visited nature to calm and relax  Repeat this whenever you need a moment for yourself.

How to: Close your eyes and imagine yourself on top of a mountain taking in warmth and sounds of nature.  Relax and appreciate this time for yourself.

Results: Do you feel calmer?   Will you repeat this exercise?  It’s a go to for me!  Have a great day.

 

 

Categories
Art and Creativity

Art Focus Action

Let’s think about making art and focusing. It doesn’t matter if you are an artist or not. We’re going to use our hand and eyes to create in the air

Find something in your kitchen that you use everyday. I’ve picked a spoon.

Study the spoon, looking at the length of the handle in proportion to curved section of the spoon.

Focus now on the shape. Take your fingers starting at the top of the spoon and move your fingers completely around the edge of the spoon.  Make that movement around the spoon again with your eyes closed.  Now create the movement without the spoon.  Do this in the air. If you want draw the spoon with a pencil or pen.

How to: this exercise will help  you to learn how to focus with your senses; touch and sight.

Results:  Perhaps you felt like you were seeing the spoon differently.  I thought this exercise helped me to intently focus.

Categories
Art and Creativity

Creating a Flower!

Flowers represent so many different things to people.

Today, my flower stands for: creativity, simplicity & aroma

Let’s take a piece of paper.  We’re going to make a flower in one minute.   One Minute Art allows you to think quickly and purposefully without attaching emotions to your activity.  Remember it’s only one minute.

1. Tear a circle out of the paper for the center of the flower

2. Tear a narrow vertical for the stem

Paper Flower

3.  Add petals and leaves by making small circles or curved rectangles.   So easy!

Categories
Stress reduction

Take Away for Order!

Let’s organize a small space for the satisfaction of order and simplicity.

An indirect benefit  would result in achieving focus. Focus is so important when doing anything creative.

Take a desktop, counter, table or small drawer to de clutter.  Here’s my counter with  items that have been sitting for 24 hours.

My intention was to move them off the counter to recycle, hang up and put away. Didn’t happen.

So for today’s blog, my assignment was to clean up the space.  I just moved them into appropriate locations.   So easy.

How to: don’t think too long, just pick them up and put them away!

Messy!
Clean counter!!

Results: a quick sense of accomplishment.  Everything is now out of sight and I don’t see a mess.   So easy!

Categories
Art and Creativity

One Minute Art

Consider making art in One Minute.  For the past 63 days I’ve done just that. My goal was to create a habit of making art daily, no matter what.

To change a habit one needs to be consistent and persistent. So, I researched and learned that 66 consecutive days can establish a habit.

Here’s  Day 1/66 of One Minute Art.

How to: Use  your timer. Set for one minute. Use a pencil or pen and scribble on a piece of paper for  one minute.

Results: art and stress reduction and an increase of focus.

Scribble!

 

 

 

 

Categories
Art and Creativity

Taking Creative Action

Let’s explore seeing together as we journey along our art for healing path.

Welcome  to our Creative Action post. I’m Eileen Schwartz, the on-line co-creator of Healing Art for Caregivers.

I plan to share daily thoughts about art for healing for caregivers, the client, veterans and for those in need of healing.

You’ll read about a variety of things to do to activate healing, such as One Minute Art exercises, meditative thoughts, spiritual inspiration and stories about the creative caregiver.