We have studied the implications of the mind-body connection, and how stress can be potentially harmful to our overall wellness. We have studied a variety of stress management practices, ranging from Conditioned Relaxation to Creative Movement to the Therapeutic Applications of Music. The goal of all of these stress management modalities is to provide the most holistic, most complete approach possible to learning what stress is and how you can cop e with it more effectively. Just as stress or disease affects the entire person, the solution must also address all the dimensions of the mind, body and spirit.

        You cannot always prevent stressful situations, and you may not always be able to control how your body reacts to them. Sometimes the best thing to do is to find away for letting go of the tension and feelings of stress. Exercise and movement is one excellent way of gaining a sense of relief Imagery can assist you to unclutter your mind and refresh yourself. The expressive arts such as writing and drawing can also be very helpful in processing your ideas and emotions.

     The creative arts, such as music and dance, connect with the mind and body in a far different way than words can ever accomplish. So does the process of imagery; the power of imagery unlocks parts of our mind that 'normal' thought does not access. The visual arts, such as drawing and painting, also connect at a profound level-we tend to 'feel' the subject of a drawing or sculpture in ways which words would not convey.

         You have had several opportunities to use drawing or writing as a means of processing some of  the exercises. Drawing-even simple stick-likeimages-4ielpsyoutogroundyourthoughtsandclarifyyourideas. Think of it as a creative form of short-hand.' It can work very well for you once you feel comfortable and leave your 'inner critic' at the door.

          This section will look at the healing properties of drawing in a more structured manner. Once again, don't worry about how well you draw. This is not an art class. Think of drawing as you would any other exercise in this book; going through the process is the important part. The actual artistic outcome is a secondary benefit. Relax and enjoy yourself! ( Few people can resist a new box of crayons-think of them as brightly-colored vitamins for you soul)

         In the health care setting, patients may feel overwhelmed by the stresses of their illness, yet may find it difficult to put those feelings into words. By putting them down on paper in different colors and shapes, the person gains new insights and a sense of dialogue with the elements expressed. For the health care professional, the drawings produced by your client will also provide you with added insight into that client's deepest feelings; the images we draw may be more 'true' or authentic to what we are experiencing than words alone. Art therapy, like music therapy, has built upon this principle to develop strategies for using the visual arts as a therapeutic tool.

       While this book is not looking at the role of art in psychotherapy, we can learn how to use it as a means of self-expression and stress management. We can utiltize drawing in conjunction with imagery and music experiences, as we have shown previously. From my experience, I find it very helpful to draw the images which I have seen during visualization exercises. The drawings need not be a s detailed as your mental images, as long as the essence of the experience is captured on paper. I have kept many of my drawings, and refer to them as needed for further processing and emotional growth.

Not all people feel comfortable with crayon in hand and a blank piece of paper in front of them. This is natural, and is OK Barbara Montgomery Dossey offers some helpful suggestions or ideas for dealing with these feelings: Allow yourself to express your self with paper and crayons. There is no one best way to draw. Drawings can be realistic or symbolic. The most important thing is that you express yourself in a non- logical way. This can bring insight into your life. Do not judge your drawing. Allow your body, mind, and spirit to connect as you begin to simply be with the paper and crayons at the present moment. Notice the energy flow from you. Do not try to control it. The drawing process often breaks down the resistance that we have around a certain life event. On the blank piece of paper, allow an image to begin to form that represents your feelings and thoughts in this moment. Choose colors that speak to you. ["Imagery: Awakening the Inner Healer," in Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice . Dossey, et al., eds. (Gaithersburg: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 1988)]

        One of the most frightening aspects of drawing for many people is the totally unstructured nature of paper-it can either be highly inviting or intimidating, depending on how comfortable you are with drawing. One way to obtain the benefits of drawing with some sense of structure or direction is to use the form of a mandala. A mandala is an ancient symbol or\^oleness.AltboughmenameisfrommeHindulanguage(meaning'4magic circle"), examples can be found in the art and religious works of many cultures throughout time. Pictures in round or geometric shapes have been used as symbols, or representations of deeper truths. For our purposes, mandalas can be a useful tool for self-exploration and expression.

       Mandalas can play several roles in an overall stress management program. First, you can use this ancient form for inspiring your creative expression-it can become a place to represent your emotions on paper. You can let different colors and shapes represent your emotions and how you feel about different things. If you are feeling very tense, you maybe able to "draw it out" on paper, and thereby gain control over the stressful situation.

       If you have found the imagery exercises particularly relaxing, drawing
can heighten this experience by bringing another sense into play. Same with the music exercises; try drawing a mandala when taking a Music Bath. The music helps to mobilize your creative energies and break down some of the voices of "inner criticism" which often nag at us.

     If you are experiencing physical symptoms along with the emotional component of stress, you can draw how they feel to you. The mandala can become a symbol of your personal universe. Experiment!
Some basic steps:

1.	Take several pieces of 8.5" x 11" paper, some crayons or other multicolored writing utensils, and find a place to sit.
2.	Take one of the pencils or crayons and draw a large circle in the center of the page of paper. You may want to trace around the edge of a dish plate if that would be easier for you; just make sure the circle is big enough to give you lots of space inside the circle.
3.	If you want, turn on some music which you like and find relaxing.
4.	Starting at the center of the circle and working outward, just let your inner wisdom guide you. Trust the process! Don't force it. You may feel like drawing lines, or shapes, or squiggles, or abstracts. Don't worry about it-whatever you draw will be the right thing for that moment.

     As you draw, remember that the images within the mandala represent your emotional and spiritual state at that particular moment in time. The types of mandalas we make will change from hour to hour.

        To help you get started, take a minute to look back to the Self- Assessment Tool you completed in the first section of the book. Look at your answers to questions #3 and 4 (places in your body where you feel stress, and situations in your life which cause stress for you). Pick one of the questions, and draw images within the mandala which represent the feelings or situations you wrote about. Use whatever colors and shapes you want. There is space on the next page for you to use; go with the process.

Mandala Exercise

Date_____________________

Take a moment to write down any ideas you have regarding the process of drawing the mandala-likes, dislikes, frustrations, joys, etc. (If you are a health care professional, also write down one or two potential applications of this technique with in your practice.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

        If you are a nurse, you may also want to think of how you could teach your clients the applications of mandala drawing. For example, it is very helpful in pain management programs. Patients can draw what their pain feels like to them, and can also draw the results of whatever other interventions are employed. This gives a visual representation of pain measurement- a way to chart a person' s progress through their own artistic expression.

       If you keep a journal or are interested in keeping a visual record of your personal growth and development, keeping a notebook of mandalas drawn over a period of time can be a very valuable activity. Once again drawing from my experience, I have kept all the drawings I have done in imagery workshops or during visualization exercises, and often refer to them to get a better idea of where I have been over the years. They can be part of a spiritual or emotional autobiography.

       A second benefit of both doing and saving your drawing (or writings) is that it validates the importance of what you are doing. It validates your commitment to yourself and to your own wellness promotion. As stated many times during this book, stress management is a part of life management-it is a commitment to becoming the best 'you' possible. It is a promise to your self to strive for wholeness and meaning in your dairy life.

The next section will deal with the issue of commitment, and how you are going to put your new knowledge to work in your everyday life.