Art in the Face of Anxiety: The Calm Place

Anxiety exists for a reason. We need it biologically to become super alert when we’re in danger and get the heck out of there!  The problem?  Many of the times our anxiety alarm system goes off in the modern world, we aren’t actually in danger.  For those false alarm situations, there are practical techniques we can use to return to baseline.

The Calm Place

You may have heard the phrases “safe place” or “happy place” used to describe a location within the mind that we can visit when we need to unwind.  In this colored pencil drawing exercise we’re going to call it the calm place, and we’re going to get you there.

What To Draw

Think of a place you’ve been that made you feel peaceful, calm, and serene.  It could be a familiar place you have visited many times, or it could be an amazing space you witnessed only once.

Using colored pencils on a blank piece of paper, sketch the place as your remember it.  You don’t have to worry about creating an exact replica; just try to capture the essence of the place.  If you feel stuck with the basic shapes, it’s okay to look at a photo for inspiration.  Think about the most memorable colors you saw there, and take the time to fill in those colors on your page.

Sensory Imagination Exercise

After the drawing is complete, prop your art up and look at it for a few moments.  As you look, take slow, deep breaths and call to mind the sensory experiences you associate with your calm place. 

·      What does it smell like?

·      What temperature is the air?

·      Is there any wind?

·      Can you feel sun, rain, mist, or snow on your skin?

·      What texture is the ground under your feet?

·      What ambient noises can you hear around you?

Now that you’ve practiced using all of your sensory memories to teleport you, you can run through this exercise and visit your calm place at any time. 

How To Use It In Real Time

Snap a photo of your drawing and keep it easily accessible on your phone so you can pay your calm place a visit when anxiety strikes in the real world.  Or post your drawing on the wall behind your desk so that you are reminded to practice taking a mental vacay during your busy workday.

Why It Works

The reason this is more powerful than just looking at the random pretty landscape picture on your computer desktop is that we are calling on the help of your personal sensory memories to bring calm to your body.

Looking at a vividly-colored sketch of your calm place stimulates visual memory, and simultaneously doing the active mental work of recalling what your hearing, smell, and touch perceived in that place brings the memory into your body.  As you take deep breaths and focus on your calm place, your body gets the memo “No danger here - time to release!”

Take that, anxiety! I’ll be in my Kyoto moss forest.

Note: The term “art therapy” refers to art-making done in the context of mental health treatment. The exercises described in this blog are, therefore, art activities rather than art therapy. These activities are not intended as a substitute for art therapy or mental health treatment with a credentialed professional.