My Amazing April Finds 😍 🙌 ✨

The first is blank space. We are living in a world that seems to get faster by the day. Everyone expects everything not just now but milliseconds before they even realise they need it. It’s putting us all under immense pressure and it’s causing us to feel the need to be constantly ‘on’ and ‘available’. 📲 🫠

So while on break, to counteract this, I went through my calendar and blocked off time for all my daily tasks e.g. invoicing, payments, emails etc. I then blocked off time to work on my business followed by blocking off time to brainstorm and get creative. I never add these tasks to my calendar, which means I fill it up with other things and then I am left scrambling to get these tasks done.

I have also noticed that seeing free time / blank space in my calendar makes my nervous system dysregulated. It makes me feel like I am not doing enough, or that I need more clients or I have forgotten something. 😵‍💫🤦‍♀️

So if you are like me, I suggest you do the same. Go into your calendar and mark out time for your tasks, time to think and create systems and processes that will make your life or business easier. It’s a little trick that allows you to slow things down, have the time you need to get everything done and it stops you from overbooking yourself. Plus if you do need a spare 1-2 hours for that urgent report, you have the time.

Now my second discovery for April was not so much a discovery but a book that helped me both in everyday life and also clinically. It is called Your Brain on Art and it’s all about neuroaesthetics. 📕🎨

Neuroaesthetics applies neuroscience and psychology to research the profound effect art has on our brains, our quality of life and our mortality. The good news - it’s a lot!

Nature is art at its finest so spending time out in nature is ideal. But if this is not your jam or you are time-poor, surrounding yourself with plants or nature-themed art is a great alternative. 🍃🌷

For me, that was bringing more plants into the bedroom. Easy to do, made our room feel calmer and I love waking up to see greenery.

The 5 big takeaways from the book were;

We're wired for aesthetics: The book explains how our brains are naturally drawn to beauty and find pleasure in art appreciation. This response is rooted in our evolutionary past and helps us navigate the world.

Art as therapy: Engaging with art can be a powerful tool for managing stress, anxiety, and even trauma. The book explores how art can trigger the release of endorphins and promote relaxation.

Pain relief through art: The book discusses studies that suggest art appreciation can actually reduce physical pain perception. Looking at art may distract us from pain signals or trigger positive emotions that counteract negative feelings.

Art for a healthy body: Beyond pain relief, "Your Brain on Art" highlights how art can contribute to overall well-being. It can boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, and improve cognitive function.

Art as a path to flourishing: The book suggests that art appreciation isn't just about feeling good; it can also help us learn, grow, and connect with something larger than ourselves. Art can be a tool for self-discovery and flourishing.

I’ve also incorporated art into my therapy sessions in 2 ways.

For one of my teens who is autistic with a PDA profile, we paint. 🧑‍🎨 ✨ We each have a canvas and we spend the session talking and painting. At the end of the session I take a photo of each of our paintings and then later on that day when the canvas is dry, she whitewashes the canvas (i.e. re-paints the canvas white). The next session, we do the same thing again, paint, take a photo and she then whitewash the canvas. Now you are probably thinking what is the point? Well, art is a great way to get out our emotions and to paint how you feel. For this teen, she is struggling with criticism, self-identity and letting go of perfectionism. Painting for no purpose other than to paint with no critiquing of whether it is good or bad is incredibly freeing. Whitewashing the canvas is the ‘letting go’ of the criticism and returning the canvas to white. As the sessions go, I can see that she will find it easier, feel freer and experiment and explore. Plus the whole time we are chatting, connecting and I’m getting more insights into her unsolved problems.

Another kiddo, school age, again autistic with a PDA profile, I am doing a continuous painting with her. 👧 🖼️ The idea is that we paint. The next session, we continue the same painting, painting over the top of it, and changing it as we want. We continue this each session. Again a painting for no purpose, just expressing our feelings, having a go, being creative and letting go of judgement. For this client, it’s a chance to be creative but with no rules or expectations. It’s a chance to explore without fear of getting it wrong. As always, connection and trust are key. We chat, we paint, we problem-solve together and again I can see the impact this will make.

Both these ideas came from the book. I highly recommend it. Art is something I have always appreciated but as a non-creative person, never really desired to have a go with it myself. It’s often the fear of criticism, the work not looking right or perfect that’s held me back. Working this way is incredibly freeing. It’s something I can model to my clients and they can feed off too.

The biggest takeaway is whether you enjoy creating art, using it with your clients or just appreciating it, the physical and mental health benefits are profound. 🎨😍✨

So I wanted to share both of these finds with you as I know I am heading into May better off and so are my clients. If you are finding life is getting too full, try the calendar trick and if you haven’t got any art booked in, go listen to some live music, try your hand at painting or visit a gallery or museum. Your body and mind will thank you.