Cheap & Fun Winter Therapy

 My depression has been creeping up on me again. It has nothing to do with the change of seasons (I survived Alaska so Iowa can't touch that!). I think this is just a normal cycle - a sort of ebb and flow that my depression does. At any rate, I am fighting back. I'm eating better and I'm exercising more. In addition, one of my nieces turned me on to a little bit of DIY therapy.

It's literally DIY. She got me one of those paint-by-number kits after I saw one at her place. She had some smaller ones but when I picked mine, I didn't notice the size...

That's what it looks like on the product page. Who knows what I will have it looking like! But I love the idea. It comes with everything I need to get it done - paints and brushes, and even little hangers.

Yeah. It's quite large at 16"x20". I like it a lot but it's probably going to take my brat of a brain forever to get it done. This is what I have managed over the past couple of weeks. Don't laugh! Or at least wait til I've finished.

In addition to the paints being shown,
there's a copy of the pic to follow.

I have very limited room to work in. I used a piece of cardboard as my workspace and just do as much as my head will let me before I get tired. Next time, I will go smaller!

Seriously, though, I can really say that the project is very therapeutic. My anxiety goes way down when I spend just half an hour working on this - and most of that time is setting out the paints and cleaning water! I actually think it helps my brain too. I have to focus on some details and keep my hands steady. 

I've already told some of my neighbors about this. A lot of them struggle with depression or cognitive issues because of age and life situations. Some of the folks here do puzzles together, but this is something they can work on whenever they need to calm down or relax.

If you decide to try one of these kinds of paintings, trust me, go small for the first one!

Peace

--Free

P.S.: BTW, when I went back looking for smaller items, I realized how affordable they are. The one I'm working on was less than $10! That's amazing for what you get.

DISCLAIMER: I am not/will not be compensated in any way for any products mentioned in this post and there are no affiliate links. I am not a suggesting/advising anyone use any product mentioned. I am only sharing my experiences and feedback.