Life Renewal Counseling

You might be wondering what it takes to “visualize imagery” and worry that you won’t be able to “see” anything to draw.  Don’t worry – the process is actually more simple than you might imagine!

It’s important to understand that people experience inner imagery in different ways.  Some see a very clear picture, other people merely sense an image with no clear picture, and still others have a shape or color flash through their mind as a thought or impression.  Try this activity to get an idea of how you experience your own inner imagery:

·      Gather your visual journaling materials and, with marker/crayon/pastel in hand, close your eyes and take several deep breaths.  Now, imagine a sailboat.  Finally, open your eyes and draw that sailboat.

Remember that your image is YOUR image, so there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to draw the sailboat.  For every thought of “Can I draw it like…”, the answer is “YES!”  and for every thought of “Does it have to be…”, the answer is “NO!”

When you have finished your sailboat drawing, answer these questions:

1.     Did the sailboat present itself to your inner eye as a kind of flash image or picture?

2.     Did you only sense what it looked like?

3.     Did you just begin to draw, having no idea what the final drawing would look like?

The most important part of expressing your inner imagery is to learn to trust your own way of accessing it.  If you close your eyes and nothing happens, don’t give up!  Just start making marks on the paper and eventually an image will appear.

The more you practice this “art”, the stronger your connection to your inner imagery will become! 

Feel free to post a picture of your first expression of visual imagery!  (And remember, judging or comparing yourself to others is not allowed!)

·       Adapted from Visual Journaling : Going Deeper than Words, by Ganim & Fox

Guidelines for staying strong while taking good care of yourself:

1. Buy some time.

When someone asks you to do something, put some space between the request and your answer. Before automatically agreeing, tell the person that you'll get back to them.

Second, let the person know up front that you may not be able to commit. Telling a person right away that you're cutting back on your hectic schedule takes pressure off you and encourages the person asking for help to consider other options sooner rather than later.

2. Do a gut check.

Check to see if the request that's being made of you is something you'd really like to do. Rating your desire on a scale of 1-10 might help, as well as asking yourself, "If I knew this person wouldn't be angry, disappointed, or upset, would I say no?"

Often, we respond to other's desires before considering our own needs. Certainly, there will be times that we do things for others we would rather not do, in order to be supportive of the relationship. Make sure these things are done to show love or strengthen connection, not out of guilt or obligation (which can lead to resentment).

3. Tell the truth directly - with grace and love.

-- Be honest about how you feel without over explaining yourself. Be genuine in your explanation, but don't give the impression that you're open to any discussion.

-- Stick to one or two concise lines about why you cannot fulfill the request.

-- Offer a recommendation, if you have one, as to how the person might be helped.

Remember, you are responsible TO others to tell the truth with respect and care, but you are NOT responsible FOR their emotions. Don't measure success by the response you receive from the other person, but by how you feel once your anxiety about the conversation disappears. More than likely, you'll feel a sense of relief!

-- Adapted from The Art of Extreme Self-Care by Cheryl Richardson

www.LifeRenewalCounseling.org