If you are feeling worried or scatterbrained, help yourself stay in the moment and calm down with this little art exercise. Art journaling helps us reduce worry and process our life experiences in a safe, comfortable way. It can help us reduce anxiety and self doubt because of the healing effect on the amygdala, which regulates emotions and creative thinking. After you use these prompts, if you want to keep going using more color, shape, line, magazine cutouts, words, phrases - anything goes! Art journaling can be as playful or as serious as you'd like it to be. All you need is paper and simple supplies. Take a load off and lighten your heart. Unwind at the end the week or when you need some lighthearted self care.

If your space feels a little empty or neutral there’s nothing wrong with you. Sometimes we hold ourselves back in ways we don’t even notice. This is a gentle encouragement to let a little more of what you love in. 🫂The spaces we live in affect us more than we think. Not just visually, but emotionally. 🤩 Pour your passion, your heart, your love on your walls. Make your space lift you up emotionally, reflecting the highest and best parts of you and your life. Your environment can support you too. Make walking in an exhale moment because of what you see. 🤍 💬 What do you think about this? If this stirred something in you, tell me about it in the comments.

Happy Monday Skoolers! Wishing you a gentle and inspiring week. Remember, if you get stressed... 1. be like a color detective, finding as many shades of different colors as possible 2. do vagal breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 2, exhale for 7) 3. use gentle, expressive movement to release emotion (or sing!) 4. shake it out These may seem simple, and they are. Simply biological. All of these methods start a chain reaction of increasing certain chemicals and reducing others. These exercises signal to the body that you are safe. The calm feelings build up until your nerves settle. You deserve peace and to flow fluidly through life. Even though so many people are struggling, do not feel guilty for your own peace. The world needs the calm in the storm to shift the tides and to raise the vibration of the planet just by living in a calm state of being. It matters more than we sense sometimes. Cheers to your wellness! 🍇

If your week has been rough and you want to feel a bit more lighthearted this weekend, give this simple thing a try. Wherever you are, notice the colors, shapes and lines around you. If you do this once an hour you will be more attuned to your artist brain. When we use our art brains we engage the amygdala, which is our stress processor. When we truly focus on artsy stuff like color and shape, it is like giving a fun distraction to a crying child. Just like their tears dry up fast, your nerves will start to settle. I'm posting about it now so it might give you some time to think about it tonight, and do it tomorrow. 🤩 If you try this out, let me know how it goes.

What is enchanting your eyes outside lately? This season has been a bit wonky in Seattle. Flowers came early while we still had quite a chill to the air. Here are a couple recent pix. I'd love to see yours! Please share some photos of what is catching your eyes in the natural environment lately. Mine are a seashell on a snowy beach and a blooming Cherry blossom.