We are each the expert on our own lives and only we know what feels best for us. But sometimes making big decisions can be stressful, especially when there is a lot of different information to consider and when our decisions impact loved ones and others around us.
In the midst of a pandemic every decision we make can feel life huge and overwhelming. This month a lot of parents, teachers and students are making tough decisions about how to move forward regarding schools re-opening in the fall. There is no right or wrong decision for everyone, we're all in different circumstances, have different risk factors and commitments to consider and varying degrees of choice in what we can do. Expressive arts can help us to move through the fog of information, fear and judgement around our decisions, narrow in on what is most important to each of us, find new possibilities and feel confident that we will make the best decisions for us and our families.
This is a variation of an activity that I explored in Expressive Art training and that I've used myself many times since to help me focus and trust myself when my mind starts swirling with options and uncertainty.
The invitation is to start this activity with stretching, meditation, dancing or listening to music, anything that helps you to be in the present moment and tune into your body.
Notice your surroundings and the sensations you feel in your body.
Hold the decision you need to make in your mind and check in with your body. When you think about making this decision what do you notice inside your body? Any tightness, flutters, aches, expansion or compression, warmth or coldness? Where do you feel these sensations?
Choose 2-3 words that stand out to you from each of the columns below;
Figures/Voices Situation/Setting Objects
Woman Snow Storm Key
Dragonfly Boat Phone
Spider Rainforest Empty Chair
Doctor Cabin Fire
Hologram Beach Old Chest
Child Meadow Cup of Tea
Horse Sunset Record Player
Ghost Old Motorhome Open Window
Wolf Castle Scattered Papers
Old Man Ice Cream Shop Rubber Boots
While still keeping the thought of your decision in mind, use the words you chose (you could also use inspiration cards, your own word lists, random words from a page of a book, the first things you notice around you etc) as a starting point to write a dream.
Your dream does not have to be realistic in any way or make any sense, don't worry about neatness, spelling or grammar just write what comes to mind as if you were writing down or telling someone about a strange dream you had. Give yourself about 20-30 minutes to write. If you're scribing for someone else, write everything exactly as they say it.
After your dream is finished read it back to yourself and again check in with your body and the sensations you feel during different parts of your dream. Think about the overall theme or feel of the dream, are there any sounds or smells in the background? Maybe there's music to go with your dream? Can you imagine it being illustrated or acted out as a play?
Still holding your tough decision in mind, ask the parts of you that might feel judgement, fear or guilt about your decision to step back for a little while and allow curiosity to ask about your dream. You don't need to relate your dream to your decision, just be curious about it.
Some questions you might want to ask yourself about your dream, remember to keep checking in with your body and trust that you are the expert in your own life.
-Was there anything surprising about your dream?
-What is the overall feeling or atmosphere of your dream? Is it constant or mixed up and shifting? Does it flow like a story or jump from scene to scene?
-Is there a particular point during the dream where the mood shifts? How does that shift feel for you?
-Is there a part of your dream that stands out to you that you might want to zoom in on and investigate more deeply? Or a part where you'd like to stay a little longer to explore what else might happen there?
-Are you in the dream as yourself or as someone else, or one of the characters in the dream? Are you watching the dream from the outside?
-Are there parts of the dream that feel safe to you? Scary? Exciting? Boring? Keep checking in with your body and noticing the sensations associated with different parts of the dream.
-Are the sensations you notice in your body as you read and imagine your dream what you would expect to feel at certain points of the dream? If not, what might your body be telling you about what you need?
-Are there obstacles you had to face or overcome in your dream?
-How does your dream end? Was there an ending where things were resolved or did you wake up right in the middle? How does the ending feel to you?
-How comfortable are you with not knowing how things turn out? Or with having an ending to the dream?
-Are there parts of the dream that you'd like to change? Why do you want to change these parts? Would you give yourself more or less control in the dream?
-Do you notice any metaphors for your real life in your dream?
-Are there any parts of your dream that you notice could relate to the decision you need to make?
-What could the way your body responds to your dream tell you about what you need to do in order to make a decision that feels best for you? Does your body tell you to take a risk or take more control? Does comfortable or normal feel safe or restricted to you?
-Thinking about the decision you need to make in real life, which option feels like more of a risk or more comfortable to you?
-What can your art tell you about you? Does it help to clarify what you already know about yourself and the choice that's best for you?
It might be helpful to share your dream with someone else who might notice different aspects of it and offer different questions to consider. Feel free to reach out to me at tumbleweed.ex.arts@outlook.com or Tumbleweed Expressive Arts Connection Group on facebook if you'd like to share or talk about any of your expressive arts work.
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