Whether you’re actively experiencing anxiety or would simply like to invest in regular self-care and proactive stress management, art therapist Shauna Kaendo recommends the following directive.

1. Grab a piece of paper—the bigger the better—and some drawing materials, such as oil pastels or crayons. Tape the sheet of paper down to a flat surface.
2. Choose a word that has been floating around in your head and focus on it as you scribble on the page—slow, fast, hard, light. Do this for at least one full minute.
3. Breathe.
4. If you feel like the word is still triggering you, crumple up the paper, then uncrumple it. Do it a few times. If you feel compelled to do so, fold the paper, tear it, submerge it in water—there is no wrong way to do this exercise.
5. Breathe, and repeat with another word.

This excerpt is from a version of the article that was published in the November 2019 issue of alive Canada with the title “It\’s Just Not My Thing.”