10 Antidotes to Anxiety

Like many of you, Patricia and I felt stunned and anxious following the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut. It can be easy to slip into fear and helplessness.

While we live in challenging times, there are things we can do in each moment to balance the anxiety response to world events.

We want to share some of our favorite antidotes for world event anxiety with you. Our hope is that you do what works best to love yourself as you feel any emotions that come up, and know we are thinking of you. 

10 Antidotes for Anxiety

1. Meditation

It can be 10 minutes in the morning in your favorite chair, breathing and allowing thoughts to come and go, or 5 seconds on a crowded train or while sitting in traffic. Closing your eyes and pay attention to your breath. It's calming. 

2. Making more time to sleep

In times of stress, try making extra sleep time a priority. Powering down 30 minutes earlier than you usually do can lead to a healthier morning. 

3. Gratitude lists

Take a few minutes to jot down 10 things for which you feel grateful. Gratitude shifts the focus from tragedy and worrying to fullness. It helps us access the warmth in our hearts. 

4. Listening to music

Television and radio news - even on our personally-curated social media feeds - do not have our peace of mind on the agenda. Often what we see and hear are horrific details and it perpetuates a cycle of fear and anxiety. Try turning on some music you love instead of the news. 

5. Taking a walk

Anxiety takes root in our minds and can leave us feeling paralyzed. Move your body to shake it off. Take a walk. Do some stretching. Go for a run. Work out. Dance. 

6. Positive affirmations

Turn any fears into positive affirmations. It's a way to retrain our minds to relax and feel stronger. Counteract the negativity by saying kind, loving, present-tense words out loud or in your mind, throughout the day. Say them in the mirror. 

7. Read

Read whatever you enjoy. A fun book lights up our imagination and gives us heroines and heroes to believe in. Stories bring us out of worry into adventure. Non-fiction is wonderful, too.

8. Drink more water

Even if it's one extra glass per day, staying hydrated in anxious times nourishes our cells. Just like the oxygen we breathe can calm us, the oxygen in water can do the same.

9. Make art

Art heals and soothes. Make any kind of art you like. Write a poem. Make a drawing. Doodle for 15 minutes. It doesn't need to be amazing. It's the act of creating that moves us into the present moment.

10. Beautify

Buy yourself flowers. Paint your nails. Clear clutter from a corner. Wash the dishes and put them away. Do something small to celebrate your life and beautify it. Beauty lifts our spirits and lets us know we are worthy of all things good.

If you have more anxiety antidotes, we would love to hear them. Please leave a comment below and share. 

With love,
Laura Baran & Patricia Geremia
Arts & Dreams

In the studio shooting for the Arts & Dreams book

Book Update!

Hi, Laura here.

Patricia and I wrote and illustrated a children's book for Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops. It's getting close to being published!

Quick backstory - through crowd funding in 2012, we raised money to create the dream book to read to children ages 8-12 during workshops. In Arts & Dreams workshops we help them create uplifting art while learning to love themselves and believe in their dreams.  

After years of writing and re-writing, and tons more re-writing, and then a full year for me to illustrate paintings sourced by photos Patricia and I took together last summer, we finally had a great day in my studio shooting the illustrations in hi-res to submit to our publisher.

It's going to be several more months till we have a finished book in our hands (and a new baby in mine!) and with every step it's been a relief and a humbling honor to get closer and closer yet!

We will publish with Balboa Press, a division of Hay House and home to many of our favorite self-help and spirituality authors. 

Read more about our kickstarted book here.

The most important thing they learned

Arts & Dreams recently wrapped an 11-week program serving youth at the Red Hook Initiative with empowering art workshops after school.

Each workshop combined a discussion about the power of choice, positive affirmations, mantras and mirror work, with creative activities.

Through projects like --

collage  
gratitude journals
affirmation paintings on stretched canvas
fabric paintings on t-shirts and tote bags
jewelry making
and more

-- high-school and middle-school youth explored art as a way to create more love for themselves and to believe in their dreams.

We asked:
"What's the most important thing you learned with Arts & Dreams?"

Students answered:

• "To love myself"
• "To be myself"
• "To love you have to forgive"
• "I'm ok"
• "People really opened up and had self-esteem"
• "It made me feel better and inspired"

If you're inspired, here's how to get involved:

• Donate to help us buy art supplies for more workshops!
   
• Follow Arts & Dreams on instagram @ArtsandDreams 
   
• Schedule a workshop for any age group
   
• Share this email with your friends and family

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Book Update

The Arts & Dreams book illustrations are coming along. With only a few left to paint, we're hopeful we can pull off a finished book to use as a learning tool during workshops by early 2016! Thank you, Kickstarter donors!

Here's a peek at the latest. 
 

Thank you for supporting Arts & Dreams! Together we create a more hopeful, loving world!

With gratitude,
Laura Baran & Patricia Geremia
Arts & Dreams
 

Group Kindness and Dreaming: Workshop 11 with Middle-School Youth at Red Hook Initiative

June 12, 2015 - It has been an inspiring spring of Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops with youth at Red Hook Initiative in Brooklyn, NY. With a mission to expand hope and self-love through expressive art projects, Arts & Dreams worked with middle-school and high-school stars to create empowering art that inspires confidence in their big dreams. 

For the final of 11 workshops in the after-school series, Laura and Patricia prepped posters for the middle-school young women to decorate. On one was written in glitter glue: "I AM" and on the other "I love my dream of:" and they were filled with the positive self-describing words, affirmations, and mantras that have been discussed over the course of the workshop series.

Becoming clear about what makes up our dreams, and why those dreams are important, is a key tool to help take actions towards living joyful lives of meaning. Developing a strong, compassionate, loving sense of self builds a foundation upon which to live out dreamy lives with hope.

After the group kindness and dreaming posters were filled, the young women painted affirmation art on stretched canvas to serve as visual reminders of their self-worth. Each shared with the group why they chose to paint their affirming phrases, and what they learned about themselves over the spring together.

The workshop wrapped up with Mirror Work, a tool of self-love pioneer Louise Hay, where each participant looked into a mirror and told herself "I love you, I really, really love you." 

Thank you to everyone at RHI and all of the Arts & Dreams donors for making these workshops possible! Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Free Expression: Workshop 10 with Middle-School Youth at Red Hook Initiative

June 5, 2015 - Building on past workshops about gratitude, self-love, hope and mindful thinking, Arts & Dreams provided the middle-school youth in Red Hook Initiative's Mirrors of Strength after-school group with a "Free Expression" workshop.

After a discussion about the power of choice, and feedback from the young women about how it feels to choose to love, soothe and nourish oneself no matter what the outside circumstance, as well as the role that art and writing can play in that, the young women were empowered to choose to express themselves creatively in any positive way they wanted.

Some chose to create loving mantras with fabric paints on tote bags and t-shirts, some drew inspired creations on paper, and every creation was a loving, hopeful message to self. Following the art making, the young women each talked about what their art meant to them, and then told themselves, "I love you, I really love you," while looking into a hand mirror.
 
Thank you to all the Arts & Dreams supporters, and everyone at RHI for making this workshop series possible. Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran.

Gratitude Journals with Middle-School Youth: After-school Workshop 9 at Red Hook Initiative

May 29, 2015 - Gratitude is a healing, empowering activity that's free to do, easy, and a fast way to feel more in love with oneself and ones life.

For this workshop with middle-school young women at Red Hook Initiative, the discussion focused on how it feels to be thankful, and why being thankful impacts people in a positive way.

Each student received a blank journal, and wrote a list of 10 things for which she felt gratitude. Some students then shared their lists with the group out loud. Then they decorated their journals with oil pastels, markers and appliques, in order to beautify their new sacred spaces in which to write and draw about their hopes, fears and dreams - and their gratitude.

Thank you to all the Arts & Dreams donors and supporters and to everyone at RHI for making this workshop series possible. Photos by Patricia Geremia

Jewelry Love: After-School Workshop 8 at Red Hook Initiative

May 22, 2015 - For the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, the 8th After-School Workshop with the middle-school group of young women called "Mirrors of Strength" at Red Hook Initiative, Arts & Dreams brought supplies to make bracelets and necklaces, including beautiful Mzuribeads donated by OneGoodBead.com.

The young women used lettered beads and Mzuribeads to string together loving, positive messages to themselves that inspire them to enjoy their lives and dream big. The multi-colored Mzuribeads gifted for this workshop were created by women in Uganda on recycled paper, and support women's education in Africa.

Many lovely jewelry pieces were created, and then wrapped in decorative bags donated by Helen Baran. The young women shared with each other the meaning behind their creations. And then every participant looked into the mirror and said, "I love you, (their name). I really love you." This practice is inspired by Louise Hay and gives a powerful self-love boost.

Thank you RHI and all of Arts & Dreams' donors and supporters, for making these workshops possible! Photos by Patricia Geremia. 

Positive Tshirts: After-School Workshop 7 at Red Hook Initiative

May 15, 2015 - The middle-school young women who comprise the Mirrors of Strength group at Red Hook Initiative's after-school programming participated in an Arts & Dreams workshop about wearable positivity. The purpose of the workshops are to expand self-love and hope through creativity. This week the young women were thrilled to create positive messages on tshirts with fabric paints. Just in time for summer. As the paints dried, it was time for a round of mirror work, where each participant looked into their own eyes in a mirror and said "I love you, (their name). I really love you." Photos by Patricia Geremia. 
Thanks to the Arts & Dreams supporters (join us!) and everyone at RHI for another awesome workshop!

Vision Board Collages: After-School Workshop 6 at Red Hook Initiative

On May 8, 2015, Arts & Dreams shared a Vision Board Collage workshop with the middle-school young women at Red Hook Initiative, our 6th in the series of empowering art workshops after school. 

Patricia Geremia led a discussion about using inspiring images as visual reminders of experiences we want to enjoy. The act of sorting through clipped images from magazines and books and then arranging them, maybe with some key words, is a creative way to feel hope that our dreams can come true!

The young women made gorgeous collaged Vision Boards with mixed media. They also created special notes to honor their mothers for Mothers' Day weekend. At the workshop close, every participant talked about what their Vision Board meant to them, and said "I love you" to themselves while looking into a mirror.

Become a partner of Arts & Dreams and help support empowering art workshops. Learn more here.

Thank you to our supporters and to RHI! Photos by Patricia Geremia

Self Portraits: After-School Workshop 5 at Red Hook Initiative

This workshop was about beauty. Working with middle-school girls and high-school young women at our 5th workshop at Red Hook Initiative, the discussion centered around our concept of how we appear, and what each of us finds beautiful.

Each participant was seated in front of their own oval mirror. If we looked at ourselves as beautiful, and we loved, accepted and approved of ourselves exactly as we are, how would we feel?

Laura gave instruction on how to recognize facial proportions, and coached everyone to embellish their favorite features. The students could work abstractly with designs and textures that resonated "beauty", or create a figurative self portrait using oil pastels, markers and appliques.

Laura sprayed each drawing with fixative outside, then the group re-gathered to share what their portrait meant to them. The workshop closed with each participant looking into the mirror and saying "I love you, (their name)." 

All photography provided by Patricia Geremia

Beautiful Tote Bags: After-School Workshop 4 at Red Hook Initiative

April 17, 2015 - Arts & Dreams worked with middle-school aged young women at Red Hook Initiative in our 4th empowering art workshop. The focus was on personal power. We had a rich and rewarding discussion highlighting how empowering it feels when we practice self love. The young women opened up with comments and questions about bullying, snide remarks from other kids, feeling unliked, aggression and fighting. Laura and Patricia shared that the better we get at affirming ourselves, the stronger we feel, and the more supportive people we attract. The negative people begin to sense that we love ourselves, and they don't mess with us as much. And if they do, we speak up, tell an adult, believe in our worthiness, and we don't take shame personally. 

Bullies often are suffering more than we are, that's why they lash out. When we love ourselves, we don't need to lash out. We feel healthy. Students painted tote bags with fabric paints, bringing beautiful colors, phrases and designs to a plain cotton bag. These bags will serve to carry our things as well as our hopes and dreams.

Thank you to Deanna at RHI, our middle school artists for their honesty and creativity, and all of our donors for making our work possible.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Tshirt Postivity: After-School Workshop 3 at Red Hook Initiative

Arts & Dreams shared the 3rd empowering art workshop at Red Hook Initiative (RHI) on April 10, 2015. Co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia worked with high school student leaders and LGBTQ activists.

We talked about issues facing teens today, the pressures of life, depression, suicide, sex, drugs, gangs, parents and school. In terms of empowerment, life is filled with challenges and it's our choice to consider them as opportunities and to learn how to love ourselves through them. 

The discussion focused on encouraging students to view themselves as leaders, hope-bringers, and unique individuals worthy of living their dreams. One key to help us remember to follow our dreams, let alone believe we're meant to have those dreams, Laura explained, is to practice self-love.

To boost self-love, we gave everyone a white t-shirt, multi-colored fabric paints, and beginners' painting instruction.

Each workshop participant painted beautiful tees with positive messages and designs, wearable art to uplift and inspire them. Then the students discussed why they chose their words and images and what the project meant to them.

We introduced the practice of mirror work to close out the workshop, as we always do, because it feels good to say loving words into a mirror, and everyone tried it.

Thank you, Ericka, the wonderful group leader, and everyone at RHI for an amazing workshop.
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Gratitude Journals with High-Schoolers: After-School Workshop 2 at Red Hook Initiative

Arts & Dreams worked with high school students to create Gratitude Journals at the Red Hook Initiative on April 3, 2015. 

Our activities focused on creating art that empowers self-love and hope, led by Arts & Dreams' co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia. 

First we discussed the power of feeling grateful for every blessing, and how gratitude brings more to feel grateful about.

Everyone received a blank journal with unlined pages where they can draw, write and express their dreams, hopes and fears. Opening to the first blank page, they all wrote a list of 10 things for which they're grateful and shared their lists, feeling that magic spark of gratitude for all that's going well. Then participants decorated their journals with paints and appliques.

We closed the workshop by looking into a mirror and expressing a kind and loving word to ourselves. Thank you to RHI and all of our donors and supporters for making Arts & Dreams empowering art workshops possible. 
Photos by Patricia Geremia and Laura Baran

Affirmation Paintings: After-School Workshop 1 of 2015 Series at the Red Hook Initiative

Friday after-school programming was in full swing at the Red Hook Initiative (RHI) in Brooklyn. Pizza and salad was available for youth to enjoy and music was coming from the main room as the students unwinded.

For the middle-school aged young women of RHI's Mirrors of Strength group, Arts & Dreams shared the first of 11 workshops. Our activities focused on creating art that empowers self-love and hope, led by Arts & Dreams' co-founders Laura Baran and Patricia Geremia.

Once Laura shared her background challenges growing up and then making art to heal herself after her brother's suicide, a rich experience took place.

Through discussion and painting, the group seemed to express a real understanding of their worthiness of living the life of their dreams, and engaging in acts of creative kindness to self. They painted personal positive affirmations on stretched canvas, discussed why they created their art and spoke loving words to themselves in a mirror.

A big thanks to Deanna Cherry and Jade Elias for making this workshop series possible! Also to everyone at the Red Hook Initiative and all of our generous donors for their support. 

Photos by Patricia Geremia