Drawing Exercise for Anxiety: Anxiety Skills #7

In this grounding technique for anxiety, PTSD, and stress, I teach you how to manage anxiety through an exercise that turns on the parasympathetic nervous system and triggers a sense of calm and safety.

This skill is an essential tool for treating PTSD and anxiety disorders and calming the stress response. It works for kids as well as it does for adults.

Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

About Me:
I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

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[ASMinor]

I am an avid #MentalHealthAwareness advocate and performer, and I love this so much. I travel the country trying to bring that awareness on stages, in classrooms, hospitals, and on my YouTube channel, so I get excited when I see other advocates. 💙❤

[kindraviktora]

i’m literally binge watching this channel like its a netflix show...

[fakecreatinerm]

I thought about my old home. My real home. Where i used to live before i left for the navy and life broke me. The home where i grew up together with my siblings, the home where “normal” me still resides. I got emotional before i even started drawing and i teared up a bit. im only 23 but i feel 40

[AnnieDeLuna]

I had crippling panic attacks when I was in high school and went to see a therapist to get some practical tips that could get me through each day. I had a hard time even going outside. She gave me nothing I could use even though I probably saw her for about a month. I wish that I had these videos back then. But I am so incredibly thankful for what you’re doing.

[winterflame]

Wow. I just realized that I used to do this in Highschool. I used to draw outdoor scenes that made me feel good. I’ve had anxiety disorder since middle school. Now I see what I was doing.

[GoNewEnglandPats]

Legit unbelievable. Works so well its crazy

[santiagooviedo]

I haven't a paper on me so I just lay down and visualize but with a ultra precise detail and creativity and a mild coherence for the scene, and wow, it works wonders. It really did the the trick. Thanks 🖤

[kbelieve]

This is the first activity from your channel that made me cry. I just remembered the time when I was young and we live in a small house. Life was just so simple back then. But I also realized how far I've come now and made me feel better.

[creativecustomsbynat]

I was almost tearing up but I drew a stable and horses and hay and windows and saddles and halters and brushes and boots and helmets.

[CaptainCandycorn]

I just did this and I feel so calm and happy right now

[antikoerper]

Thank you and God bless you for all the work and the advices! This is what the Internet was made for!

[klattalexis]

I have a black velvet painting on my wall. I can go there.

[CKsmallville]

This is tricky when perceived (and actual) danger is criticism that is warranted but which can not be avoided. But I guess that is a different issue which needs to be dealt with separately.

[jimmym]

I made a sheet on google docs with a written guide to this exercise, can I share it and your video on my blog?

[MsDF]

Does the place you draw have to be a real place or can it be a safe place you’ve visualized?

[Finfootball]

My safe place is my school and that’s the reason why im worried😢😢

[tortoise]

Is it okay to draw a person along with you in that safe place??? Or does it mean that Im dependent on people..??

[kingtahaa]

I start missing that place., feeling nervous

[theexperimentasd]

I thought that this doesnt work because i have been drawing for years and still have severe anxiety then i remembered i always drew guns, pistols, tanks and war scenes, never drew a peaceful scene or a piece of nature .

[andiaweii]

my safe place is my bedroom, but i feel disappointed. im sure my ego's disappointed actually, because it thinks it should be something else, something more appealing and more beautiful, like a big field full of wildflowers and the wind blowing in my face, or a secret garden surrounded by large old trees with their leaves covering the sky. but i cant imagine those to be my safe place. or i dont know. im not sure actually.