Hello bleeps!
How are you all doing?
I went to a very interesting workshop yesterday on Techniques at the Counselling House at church (where I do the play therapy, uh, correction, not doing it at the moment due to work overload).
We had to do various activities which would reveal information about ourselves. It started off by molding plasticine into something that represents you. I made a flower. Hey, my name is Heather, and that is a flower, but I also want to bloom, grow (and multiply ha-ha) into the best Heather I can be.
Some good de-stressing exercises that we did:
-a worry can: you write your worries and put them in the can. That way the can carries them and not you.
-venting: throwing darts
-bubble breaths:Interesting: when you are anxious: your brain wants more air, so breathing slowly and deeply will help your heart to slow down and your lungs will work better. I still like the 7/11 breath: in for 7 counts and out for 11.
-visualising a bubble surrounding you: for protection
-balloons: blowing balloons is a good way to vent your frustration. You can then choose to pop it or let it “wheeze” out. After doing this I wanted to blow it up again!
I volunteered to be the guinea pig for an exercise where you draw a gingerbread man. It is supposed to represent how you feel about your body.
The workshop leader had a field day and ploughed into my drawing. I drew a narrow mouth that was straight (apparently it means I keep quiet too much, not saying enough). I forgot to draw ears (am I being heard?). I drew a big head (too much thinking?).
The one thing that made sense to me was my rounded gingerbread hands. While I did try and explain I was trying to draw a gingerbread man who would have rounded hands like that, perhaps the lack of proper fingers shows I am not “handling” everything as I should. Yip, that would be the work overload.
The one thing I really wanted to share with you guys was the projection scribbling technique. You take a piece of paper and scribble for dear life. Get it all out. Just make a big mess.
Once you‘ve done that you look for a picture. It may take a while, but it is like looking for pictures in clouds. You’ll find something. I found a bird. I found this inspirational because you can turn the mess and muddle of your life into something meaningful, even though it looks like a big muddle, there is something beautiful to be found in the midst of it all. (If you’re wondering why the paper is folded it is because it was done on the back of another activity – the 16 blocks – where you had to draw 16 things about yourself! Quite hard, I’ll say!)
In a related activity somebody else did a little scribble for us and we had to complete the picture. I made a peacock.
Similarly, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If you can makes something amazing from something horrible, more power to you.
And that’s how it is with infertility. It may seem just horrible, but there is a bigger design that we are unaware of. It is up to me to make something beautiful with what I have been given.
I like the idea of the drawing therapy… very cool!
thanks, SIF!