Something that isn’t really a secret is that I have anxiety. I do my best to find ways to self-care so my anxiety doesn’t get too bad. I have developed a love for water color painting. It helps me ease my anxiety. I am not very good but honestly I don’t mind so much. The more I paint the better I get. Today I am going to do a little painting to show you my process and maybe to encourage you to find new ways to realize your anxieties in new ways.

STEP 1:

Trace a circle with whatever item you have or if you are cooler then I am free hand that circle. When you trace the circle you can trace with whatever color you would like. I chose black, next time I might choose grey or some other color.

STEP 2:

Remove the item you used to trace the circle. Be careful when you remove the item, in my case a disc, if you remove too quickly you can leave marks. As you can see I did just that. However I am going to make it work.

STEP 3:
Let the paint dry. It will bleed into your other colors if it’s not dry when you start the next sections. Honestly, even if it is dry it still might bleed, but you do what you can and just keep trying and make it work.

STEP 4:

Begin filling in the circle with whatever colors you would like until the entire circle is filled up. I choose these colors because they blend together and stand out at the same time.

STEP 5:

Let the circle dry. You are going to add one last step to the circle and you don’t want the colors to bleed together.

STEP 6:

Choose a quote, saying, bible verse, song lyric, or anything of the sort and write it in the center of the circle. I chose this quote because I think it is important to go and see place and love the entire time.

Step 7:

Hang it on your wall or give it to a friend who might need some encouragement.

As you can tell I am not perfect at painting. However, I have deeply fallen in love with it and I can't wait to continue to improve. I challenge you to paint for yourself for awhile and see what it does for your mental health.