Mental Health Journeying

— by Zoe Fysikoudi

Have you ever watched a child play and felt drawn into their magical, imaginary world? Children have an innate ability to connect and express themselves through play and creativity. As a child therapist, I’ve witnessed incredible growth and transformation through these avenues. I’m passionate about sharing the healing power of creativity and playfulness with adults because I’ve experienced it firsthand. For instance, while I have many strategies in my toolbox for managing stress, the most effective ones are those I’ve found by connecting to my inner resources through creativity.

In this article, I invite you to join me in a creative activity to explore self-expression and imagination. And don’t worry, you don’t need to be an artist or have art supplies. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, and your experience can be different each time. The overall purpose is to promote wellness and gain insight into yourself.

The only requirement is to read through the instructions before you begin and give yourself permission to connect with your creativity in a quiet space. If you have a pen or pencil and a piece of paper, that’s a bonus.

Let’s begin….

Take a few deep breaths to connect with yourself and imagine you are a rosebush.

Take a good look and be curious about it. What does it look like? What kind of rosebush is it? Is it small or big? Is it colourful or not?

Pay attention to the flowers, leaves, stems, and any thorns it might have. Are there flowers, stems, leaves, or thorns? What colors are they? Are they blooming? Are they dry?

Pay attention to the roots. Where are they located? Where is the rosebush planted? Is the ground filled with soil, rocks, or pebbles?

Look around you. What can you see in its surroundings? What is the weather like?

Take a minute to feel the rosebush. How does it feel to be a rosebush? What is its life like?

Now, take some time to draw your rosebush if you have a piece of paper and a pen/pencil.

Next, imagine the flowers represent the current joys, achievements, and accomplishments in your life. The leaves and stems are aspects you are currently working on, such as looking for a new job, developing your self-care routine, studying for an exam, or building your confidence. The roots symbolize your inner and outer strengths, your values, and what you already know about yourself and are proud of.

Take a minute to represent each part of the rosebush.

Before you say goodbye to your rosebush, check with it to see if there’s anything it needs. Does it need something else in its environment? Does it need water, nutrients, or rest?

If you are open and comfortable with the next invitation, spend a few minutes reflecting on the experience. How was it to engage with this activity? Was it comfortable, awkward, or stress-provoking? Did you discover something about yourself that you hadn’t noticed before or hadn’t paid enough attention to? What did you learn about yourself? 

A final word

Creative ways of expression allow us to use a different language to share feelings, ideas, perceptions, fantasies, and observations about how we view ourselves, others, and the environment in an effective, non-threatening way. When we engage in creative self-expression, it allows us to create an emotional distance and facilitates self-expression without direct involvement, which can feel threatening to some people. It can reveal valuable insights into our self-perception, coping mechanisms, and relationships, and provide the freedom to express ourselves in a way that feels right to each of us. The emphasis is on our experience and the process of the activity, rather than the outcome.

The most rewarding aspect of my work is hearing your story, so if you draw your rosebush, please share it with me.  

Zoe Fysikoudi is a Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Expressive Minds Therapy. Zoe works therapeutically with children, youth and their families and meets them at Cocoon Orillia in Orillia and Rooted in Counselling in Bracebridge. For more information, you can also visit her site at www.expressive-minds.com