Draw your form in whatever way you feel is best. Notice I drew myself with swollen arms, this is because I have suffered "Covid Arm" with my vaccinations exacerbated by other joint pain. This affects my mood. Representing these pains on the drawn form helps to feel that these images are being lifted out and away from our bodies. If you feel anxiety or anger or even happiness, where do you feel this in your body? How does it make you feel? After completing your drawing, look back at all the emotional sensations that you feel physically whether it's pain from a health condition or tension in your chest from anxiety, identifying wear these feelings resides helps us see them objectively and begin to address specific coping tools.

The Circle of Control is by Stephen Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. This is not from CBT or DBT, it's just a tool to help organize your thoughts. First, draw a circle in the center. This is your Circle of Control. What can you control? Write it in the middle. Next, draw a bigger circle. This is your Circle of Influence. In this circle, you will write out all that you can do to influence a situation - the people you can talk with, etc. Finally, draw a bigger circle around all the other two. This one is your Circle of Concern. Write down everything that is NOT in your control. Then reflect, you only have control over the center ring. Give yourself a break! Next, use this to help strategize your next steps. Try starting with where you are likely to get easy wins. This will help you feel good about each choice as they come up because you will literally be doing the best you can and leaving what is out of your control behind.

Sometimes we find ourselves surrounded by people who are very critical of us. Sometimes we are surrounded by people who adore us. Draw each representative person on each side of you, and draw you in the middle how you see yourself. Now reflect - who is right? Whose opinion matter most? When we see ourselves from the outside objectively, it's plain to see we should not be put on a pedestal nor should we be constantly criticized. Yet, there will always be people who feel one way about us or the other. Use this exercise to become comfortable separating your opinion of yourself from others.

When overwhelmed take a moment to pause. You can always say, "I'm feeling overwhelmed right now and need time to get back to you." Draw out your pause button and remain grounded where you are throughout the exercise. Overwhelmed people often feel an urgency to act or speak in the moment. Resist this. Breathe and Focus on your pause button. Settle into your chair or if standing, feel your feet grounded to your position. Now, begin to organize your thoughts. Think about what you need to move forward. If you have questions, write them out around your pause button. Remain on the page until you feel clearer. Then use this page to reflect back on. Create a question list and conversation strategy from what came to mind. Decide who and when to begin the conversation again. In a few minutes, or maybe you decide to sleep on it overnight and reflect again in the morning.

Caregivers receive a lot of criticism from family, friends, and even our own internal thoughts. Sometimes, this criticism is unintentional, people offer well-meaning advice by mistake at the wrong time - when we are at our most vulnerable. We can begin to see ourselves differently under the weight of these opinions. It's important to take a moment to remember who you are and how you see yourself. Let's take a few moments to doodle out your Superhero self. Then, spend some time reflecting on your best attributes. Write your words and affirmations around your Superhero Doodle, and spend time reflecting on each of them. Begin to refocus your thoughts on grounding yourself in your identity and truth - leaving the criticism of others behind.

Imagine your happy place. What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you see? What do you smell? Caregivers are often stuck in their homes, care facilities, or other institutions for long hours. For me, when I closed my eyes and dreamed about a place I felt safe and relaxed, it's almost always outside, underneath the trees, the sky, and the clouds. Where is your happy place? Even if you don't consider yourself a doodler or drawer, take a minute to think about your special place. Draw slowly the items that come to your mind. Visualize being there and reflect on the warmth and happiness that begins to move throughout your body as you focus on this place. Ask yourself what do you see? Smell? Hear? Taste? Feel? Draw and doodle what you can - accept yourself if you are not an experienced doodler. The mark on the page is simply a way to connect with your thoughts. See it as a magnet to your space for the time it takes to make these marks on the page. This time is for you. Take the time you need to visualize your happy place completely. Then, stop. Breathe. Reflect. When you are ready, continue on with your day.