Yaddyra Peralta - Anxious Art

Anxious Art Copyright 2019 by Yaddyra Peralta and Elina Diaz. Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc. Layout & Cover Design: Elina Diaz Mango is an active supporter of authors rights to free speech and artistic expression in their books. The purpose of copyright is to encourage authors to produce exceptional works that enrich our culture and our open society. Uploading or distributing photos, scans or any content from this book without prior permission is theft of the authors intellectual property. Please honor the authors work as you would your own.

Thank you in advance for respecting our authors rights. For permission requests, please contact the publisher at: Mango Publishing Group 2850 S Douglas Road, 2nd Floor Coral Gables, FL 33134 USA For special orders, quantity sales, course adoptions and corporate sales, please email the publisher at or +1.800.509.4887. This book is not intended as an alternative or replacement to the medical advice of the readers physicians. The reader should consult their doctor in all matters relating to their health prior to adjusting their diet. Anxious Art: A Creativity Journal to Help Calm You Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2019938545 ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-100-1, (ebook) 978-1-64250-101-8 BISAC category code: GAM021000GAMES & ACTIVITIES / Guided Journals Printed in the United States of America Anxious Art A Creativity Journal to Help Calm You Yaddyra Peralta and Elina Diaz
Mango Publishing
Coral Gables inhale. Table of Contents Poet T.S.

Eliot famously said, Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity. But can anxiety somehow fuel the creative spirit of artmaking? Does that mean that artists must suffer to succeed? Not quite! What if you took Eliots notion and tweaked it? What if creativity or creative activities could be used as a way to sooth e anxiety? Consider the results of a recent study published by Drexel art therapy professor, Girijai Kaimal, and her colleagues: whether you are a beginning or expert artist, creative activity reduces levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. The result is clear: reduce the cortisol, reduce anxiety and worry. Taking part in creative activities is akin to taking part in any other kind of mindfulness activity, including meditation. Since you are focused on the task at handsuch as writing or paintingas well as accessing your imagination, you are distracted from your feelings of distress and anxiety. You then take part in what visual artist Louis Bourgeois powerfully describes as a healing process: Art is restoration: the idea is to repair the damages that are inflicted in life, to make something that is fragmentedwhich is what fear and anxiety do to a personinto somethi ng whole.

When used as self-expression, creativity can allow you to take part in what psychologists call sublimation or the transformation of negative or socially unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable or even beautiful creations. Actor and comedian Jim Carrey has been open about his experiences with anxiety and depression. In the past few years, he has turned to painting. In the short documentary, I Needed Color , he says of his creations, You can tell my inner life by the darkness in some of them, and you can tell what I want from the brightness in some of them. By using his imagination, Carrey not only documents his negative feelings but has made contact with the hope within. The activities in this book are here to help you find tools for stress management. The activities in this book are here to help you find tools for stress management.

Dip in and out of the sections, trying them out in whatever order you prefer. While the long-term aim is to learn how to use the techniques to relieve feelings of dread or apprehension, do not place pressure on yourself to achieve a particular goal. Affirm, write, and color for the sake of each activity. Be patient. If there is growth to be had, it may take time. As the Chinese proverb says, Be not afraid of growing slowly, be only afraid of standi ng still.

Section 1 Simply put, affirmations can help you build self-confidence and overcome fear. It might seem like a weird or silly thing to do, especially in the midst of turmoil; however, as physical exercise helps to strengthen muscles, the regular practice of quick affirmations helps to develop a positive outlook, which has been known to help lessen anxiety. Make it an everyday habitas habitual as a morning cup of coffee or breakfast. Choose an affirmation in this section that addresses a weakness or general sense of negativity you might be feeling. Or make up your own that positively embodies the mental space you aspire to occupy. (Examples: I am calm; I am confident).

Bring your affirmation back into your day if you feel the need to recall the peace and tranquility you have somehow le ft behind. I dont need you r opinion. Im not waiting for your okay. Ill never be perfect, but at least now I m brave. A licia Keys Look t o the past and remembe r a smile, and may be tonight I can breathe for a while. Blink-182 If I fail, if I succeed, at least Ill live as I believe.

Whitn ey Houston Pretty, pretty please, dont you ever, ever feel like youre less than, less than perfect. P!nk I woke up thi s morning. Gotta smile when I say that shit. I woke up this morning. Chance the Rapper Cause though the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore. Of Monste rs and Men You dont have to tr y so hard.

You dont have to bend until you break. You just have to get up, get up, get u p, get up. You dont have to change a sing le thing. Colb ie Caillat I dont have to leav e anymore, what I have is ri ght here. The xx We gon b e alright. Do you hear me? Do you feel me? We gon be alright.

Kend rick Lamar They say its happy here; happiness is f igurative. Im happy cause of me, doesnt matter where I m living. The Nei ghbourhood Im not th e average girl from your video and I aint built like a s upermodel, but I learned to love myself uncon ditionally because I am a queen. India Arie Who gives a fuck about an Oxfo rd comma? Vampi re Weekend Remind yourself: nobody built like you. You designed yourself. Jay-Z No need t o give in, theres nothing you c ant take, cause what yo ure made of wasnt made to break.

Youre even stronger, stronger than you know. You could stand together
or stand on your own. Jenni fer Hudson I am recognizing that the voice inside my head is urging me to be myself but never follow some one else. A Tribe Ca lled Quest Keep on dreamin, keep on believin, keep on achievin. I keep smiling when I come through, and I cry when I need to. Jill Scott Bad news comes, dont you worry even when it lands; good news will work its way to all th em plans.

Mo dest Mouse Ill put my armor on, show you how str ong I am. Sia Stay far f rom timid. Only make moves when your heart s in it. Notori ous B.I.G. You cry, you learn. You lose, you learn.

You bleed, you learn. You scream, y ou learn. Alanis Morissette Smile because you want to. Gla ss Animals Section 2 Writing when you, the writer, are rooted in the present can be unbelievably cathartic and even joyful. Its not about impressing a teacher or a loved one. Its about staying grounded in what you are writing and focusing on the visualization of the ideas, memories, or imaginings that are helping your words to flow.