Creating a vision board during recovery lets you explore in a visual way the things you enjoy, new hobbies and interests, any goals and opportunities and look at a way forward with your life. A collage made up from photos, magazine clips, written ideas and images.
It gave me space to think about what is important to me and what I want out of life creating a display to show my intentions helped me to focus and move closer to achieving my goals.
It was essential to place this somewhere I could see often as a positive visual reminder.
On my own vision board it included:
Looking at my work life balance what was working and not working for me.
New hobbies and interests I would like to do, photography, creative writing, learning to draw and paint.
How I could use my lived experience in a positive way to support and help others.
My love of outdoors, travel and countryside.
Time to relax a spa treatment, coffee with friends
My lived experience used as a positive.
In using my vision board it allowed me to become a volunteer for Leeds Recovery College as a supporter to get together in meetings, sharing ideas, experiences and listening to others. It was a great way to meet new people who understood and accepted the mental health wellness journey as being an important part for recovery.
This was beneficial as many key people were able to meet facilitators/volunteers/champions from health, education, and those with lived experiences.
A support network working towards developing greater Mental health and recovery awareness.
New hobbies and Interests
In attending courses at Leeds Recovery College, The Exchange Recovery College in Barnsley and Barnsley Adult Skills and Community learning gave me the opportunity to develop new skills and experiences for my creative wellness journey.
Me Time
Through making time for myself and protecting this time on a regular basis, this gave me a work life balance and allowed me to focus on the things I enjoy and make me happy.
This was one of the most valuable experiences and would highly recommend to anyone.
Building Friendships
The group and support network helped me to build new friendships with people I would never have otherwise met
True friends are those who came into your life, saw the most negative part of you, but are not ready to leave you, no matter how contagious you are to them.
Achieving my dream
The vision board allowed me to open my mind and remember my skills, experiences and knowledge from previous roles. Look at what I was passionate about and filled me with excitement in the past. Project managing various websites, creating best practice case studies, building network groups, working within health and wellbeing and many other exciting aspects I had forgotten about.
This gave me the idea of sharing creativity:
writing, reading, painting, drawing, scrapbooking, journaling,
Baking, photography, creating in handmade items…….
Humour - Funny videos to make you laugh
Positive statements
Create an online group and website to:
· bring friends together
· share creative ideas
· help and support others
· build friendships in a safe environment.
And after much research and development “Creative Wellness Journey” launched in March 2020.
Posted 4th May 2020 by Creative Wellness Journey
Creative art for all ages and abilities. - Let’s share the beauty of creativity
Copyright © 2020, Creative Wellness Journey
Debbie Crouch