Transforming Anxiety into Art

I’ve dealt with anxiety for many years now and I’ve tried different techniques to cope. Sometimes relaxation techniques help, especially if the anxiety appears triggered by exhaustion. Sometimes my anxiety comes from a sudden influx of energy that tends to overwhelm me, and the best thing to do in that scenario is to get moving.

One evening last December I started to become really anxious, and so instead of pulling out my hair and going crazy, I decided to channel my nervous energy into creating something. I opened up my scraps/offcuts bin to make a mini macrame wall hanging exclusively from these scrap pieces of rope. My fingers worked quickly and furiously, and when I was done, I attached a small amazonite stone in the middle.

Because I more or less poured all my anxiety into this piece, I assumed it would carry an awful frequency – that it would represent and give off a sense of anxiety. However, when I looked at it, I felt a wonderful sense of calm and peace. In fact, I thought it almost looked like an angel.

I think perhaps intention has a lot to do with it. My intention was not to create an anxious piece of artwork, which would then give off terrible anxious vibes. My intention was to transform my anxiety into a beautiful piece of artwork. And truly, my anxiety was transformed into a symbol of peace.

Nature has so many ways of transforming crap into something life-supporting (literally- the land is fertilized by animal poop). Negative energy can also be transformed; in fact, it NEEDS to be or we’ll all drown. I know there are lots of ways to do this, but art and music are my biggest go-tos.

I’m so thankful for how art helps me process my emotional experiences, both the beautiful and ugly. Even the darkest experiences can show us the light if we are open to see.

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This mini wall hanging is available to purchase. Email me at thegracefulbirch@gmail.com if interested.