As art helped me cope with one of the toughest phases of my life, I realised that art therapy is a tool to help people de-stress. I have applied this at different NGOs I have volunteered at and also during the coronavirus lockdown. The following is one the activities I facilitated with them.
Activity: "WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART?"
This activity helps people express their emotions or define the things they care about. It’s a very quick and easy exercise that can help participants create helpful visual representations of the things they value.
Material required:
- A sheet of paper,
- coloring pens and pencils,
- glitter, sequins, and glue (if desired)
Method:
1. Ask participants to take a moment to reflect on the things that make their heart happy. What things make them feel good? What words would they use to describe these things? What images and colors come to mind when they think about these things?
2. Ask participants to draw a heart on the paper and ask them to fill the heart with what we have just been thinking and talking about. They can create these in any way they like, focusing on one thing or filling the heart with as many things as they want.
