We've recently been de-cluttering our home and it got me to thinking about how doing that has made me feel good about the space in which I'm living. I can walk around the house and enjoy the half empty cupboards as well as that fresh clean smell that comes with cleaning. This feeling reminded me about why I love art therapy. If I can de-clutter my home, then I can de-clutter my brain in much the same way. By cleaning up and throwing out or giving away what I don't need or want, leaves space inside of myself to love and enjoy the relationships that really matter to me.
How do we do that in therapy? It can start off as one of those jobs where you wonder to yourself "what is this, why am I doing it to myself and will it ever be over"? Although therapy can feel really hard and we may well go down before we start going back up, the long term benefits are well worth the hard work. I know from personal experience that it can give us room within ourselves to live our lives, love ourselves and other people and actually feel happy. I have in my brain and in my heart that sparkly fresh feeling and I am hopeful, inspired and lighter on the inside.