Autumn is here, and I feel ready to slow down and give myself time for self-healing.
All I want is to curl up in a cozy chair and read, with my diary beside me so I can jot down thoughts and ideas as they come. For me, that brings a completely different kind of calm than the artificial, flickering blue light of screens and the constant stream of news about one crisis after another.
But this spring I realised something surprising: I had been on screens so much over the last few years that I had forgotten how to read a regular book. When I mentioned it to others, many said they struggle with the same thing. I’m not talking about dyslexia or general reading difficulties — my dear husband has lived with dyslexia all his life, and that is something entirely different. I’m talking about forgetting to give ourselves the time and space to be quiet, reflective, and slowly take things in so new thoughts can form within us.
Research shows that our ability to concentrate has dropped dramatically, while stress has risen, since computers and the internet became part of everyday life.
Don’t get me wrong: I use technology with great gratitude and joy (just like now!). But I’ve discovered that my brain needs me to slow down — to write or draw by hand, or to sit with a book — to function and stay in balance.
I find that reading and calm are the foundations that allow me to create, solve problems, and generate new ideas.
If you’d like to read and reflect with me, I’d love to share the new expressive arts therapy book I’ve co-authored, which is just around the corner. You can pre-order it with a discount using the code AF2E right here.
It’s a comprehensive work that explores how to integrate movement, sound, art, play, images, drama, and other multisensory practices into psychotherapy. The book weaves together the latest theory and research with practical recommendations to support regulation, attachment, trauma healing, and sensory integration.
My chapter introduces my own method, Creative Mindfulness, which helps us find calm, balance, and emotional regulation through creativity.
Here is one of my exercises you can try right now:
Imagine what your inner peace and inner wisdom would look like if they were in the room with you.
How would it stand? How would it move? What would its voice sound like?
You can play with shaping it in the air, feeling it with your hands. Then you can begin to dialogue with your peace and wisdom — asking it essential questions and hearing what it wants to tell you right now.
Thank you for reading this rather long description!
If you’d like to read the book at the same time I do — and share your reflections — I’d love to hear from you.
Wishing you a calm, reflective, and nourishing autumn.
With love and creativity,
Karin
All artwork on the blog © Karin von Daler
Comments