Mindful Motherhood: The Benefits of Art Therapy for Moms
Committing to therapy can feel like a big decision, especially when you’re thinking about the time and money involved. But trust me, investing in therapy is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family.
As a therapist who works from an attachment-based perspective, I know how important it is to build strong, healthy relationships with our kids. We are their first role models, teaching them what love, self-care, and connection look like. By taking care of your own mental and emotional health, you're not only making a positive change in your life but also showing your children what it means to truly love themselves.
The Gift of Wellbeing
One objection I hear people say about committing to therapy is, “I don’t have the time or money.” I am here to tell you that investing in therapy is one of the most valuable gifts you can give to yourself, your family and your children. Okay, I know I’m a little biased, but hear me out!
Your Relationship with Yourself is Your Child’s Model
I practice therapy from an attachment-based lens. The foundation of attachment theory emphasizes the importance of the relationships children have with their parents or caregivers. Children rely on their parents not only for survival, but for normal social and emotional development. Parents are the first to model for their kids what love is, how to be in relationships and what self-care looks like.
Your children will likely apply the models you taught them in their own relationships with themselves and others. How beautiful would it be to model for them what it looks like to invest in yourself, to love yourself, to nurture the nurturer? As parents, one of our greatest wishes is to see our children happy and healthy. You have the opportunity to set the foundation for your children by learning how to take care of yourself now. Not to mention, how prioritizing your mental and emotional health will positively impact every aspect of your life, which brings me to my next point.
Rediscovering Your Joy
Becoming a parent touches just about every aspect of our lives—mental, emotional, physical, relational, financial, spiritual and time. Even when we are prepared for the complete life transformation of becoming a parent, the changes can feel shocking, disorienting and overwhelming. Parenting in and of itself is a LOT; we have a whole bunch of new responsibilities that can feel heavy and serious.
Art Therapy Invites Play & Curiousity
I’m here to tell you that motherhood does not have to feel so overwhelming. Art therapy can support you with rediscovering your joy! Engaging with art materials naturally inspires playfulness and childlike curiosity—that part of ourselves that can sometimes go missing as an adult. I often wonder when and why we learn that it’s not okay to create things for the sake of creating them. I’m here to tell you that you can continue to play, have fun and create; in fact, it’s a necessary part of being a human. Art therapy can help you rediscover that part of yourself in safe, gentle way.
Creating Your New Identity
Have you thought about motherhood as a rite of passage? It’s not uncommon to feel as though motherhood brings you into an underworld journey, only to come out feeling like an entirely new person—that’s because you are a new person! You have transitioned from maiden to mother, and you will never again return to the maiden version of you. It can feel wonky and unfamiliar stepping into your new identity as mother. Art therapy can support you with creating your new story, your new identity as a mother, through the process of art-making.
Art Therapy Can Hold All the Feelings
Some parts of motherhood may feel uncomfortable. It’s not uncommon for motherhood to bring up thoughts, feelings and emotions that are new for you. Some of them may feel scary, like experiencing intrusive thoughts, feelings of rage and isolation, or disconnection from yourself and your family. With the support of a trained art therapist, art materials can hold and your scary thoughts and feelings, without judgement or harmful consequences. What I mean by that is you can sculpt the anxiety monster that creates your intrusive thoughts rather than trying to deal with them on your own. You can move through rage with a needle and thread rather than exploding on your family. Art therapy offers a safe and supportive container for holding the unique experiences of motherhood, in ways that words alone cannot.
Accepting Your Creative Essence
Another objection I hear people say is, “I’m not creative,” and, therefore, assume that they would not be an appropriate candidate for art therapy. Our society has made up stories about art, who gets to make it, and who gets to claim the title of artist. Some of us may have had someone tell us that our artwork wasn’t “good enough”; we believed them, and then stopped making art.
Humans are Born Creators
Moms, you literally created a life from your womb! What is more creative than that? We are born into this life as creators. Have you observed your littles ones creating art without a care in the world about how it looks? They are perfectly content being in the process; art therapy is quite similar. When we are less concerned with what our art looks like, and we can be in the process of creation, it allows space for our emotions, helps us to make meaning of our experiences and relationships and feel a stronger connection with ourselves.
The pregnancy, postpartum and parenting time is the perfect season of life to reengage with our creativity. Not only does creativity support us with being in the moment, but it can reignite our vibrancy, our own wisdom and life force, devoid of outside influences. When we are more aligned with our creative essence, our ability to move through life flows easily.
Curious about how therapeutic art-making can support you? Click here to access my free 5-minute art exercise you can try right now to kickstart feeling more like you again!
