Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care
by Barbara Howrey
A gentle podcast for sensitive, creative souls who feel overwhelmed and want calmer, kinder days. Join Barbara, an artist and certified therapeutic art life coach, and creator of the meditative art journal A Garden for the Soul and the Joy of Journaling Circle, for simple art journaling practices using basic supplies. Each episode offers low-pressure prompts to ease stress, tend to your feelings, and build small self-care rituals you can actually keep.
Episodes
-
Savoring Summer
The Summer Solstice — the longest day of the year. In this gentle, lighthearted episode, we slow down just long enough to actually notice summer: its colors, textures, sounds, and small pleasures. You’ll settle in with a simple grounding practice, then create A Page for Summer — a free, joyful…
more -
Emotions as Color
Sometimes emotions are too big — or too tangled — for words. In this episode, we slow down and let color do the talking. You'll settle into a simple grounding practice, then create an Emotions as Color page: a free-flowing, full-page artwork where each color represents something you're carrying...
-
From Emotion to Wisdom (Part 4 of 4)
In this final episode of our four-part Emotional Awareness & Regulation series, we explore what happens after the hard feeling moves through you — and how to listen to what it's trying to say. Every emotion carries a message, and today you'll learn to receive it. We'll settle in with a grounding...
-
What Soothes Me: Emotional Awareness & Regulation (Part 3 of 4)
What do you reach for when you’re overwhelmed? In this episode, we’re building something practical and personal: your own soothing toolkit. You’ll explore what genuinely works for your body and personality — body-based, mind-based, and environmental strategies — and bring them to the page in a...
-
What Triggers Me - And why this isn't a problem (Part 2 of 4)
Do you ever find yourself more upset than a situation seems to warrant — and not quite sure why? In this episode, I gently unpack what triggers are, why they’re not the problem, and how understanding your own patterns is one of the most compassionate things you can do for yourself. You’ll be…
more -
Mapping Your Emotional Patterns - Understanding Your Reactions (Part 1 of 4)
Have you ever reacted to something and wondered where did that even come from? In this episode, we slow down the fast, invisible pattern that runs from thought → feeling → reaction—and we use your art journal to make it visible. Because when you can see the pattern on the page, it begins to…
more -
Grounded in 60 Seconds — The 5-4-3-2-1 Practice
Does your brain ever feel so full that you can't find a quiet place to put what you’re carrying down? You're not anxious, exactly —you're just scattered. And that scattered feeling makes everything harder, including creativity. In this episode, I share a simple, fast, and surprisingly powerful...
-
Seeing with Fresh Eyes
In this uplifting episode of Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care, we explore the gentle practice of seeing with fresh eyes. So often, we move through daily life on autopilot, barely noticing the familiar things around us. But when we pause, slow down, and look again with curiosity, even ordinary...
-
Reacting vs Responding: A Gentle Shift
There’s a moment — sometimes tiny, sometimes charged —between what happens and how we meet it. In that space, we often slip into old patterns: tightening, bracing, rushing, shutting down, or moving on autopilot. Reacting is fast. It’s protective. It’s the nervous system doing its best to keep you...
-
What Am I Avoiding?
Sometimes something small — or not so small — sits quiet lying the background of your life. A conversation you need to have. A decision you’re unsure about. A feeling you’re not ready to examine. A task you keep putting off. Avoidance can feel like relief in the moment — a breath, a break, a way…
more -
Present Moment Anchors
When life feels loud, it helps to have a simple way to comeback to yourself. In this episode of Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care, we’re exploring Present Moment Anchors — a gentle mindfulness practice that uses breath, sight, and touch to help you return to the here and now. I will guide you...
-
Intention Stones
In this episode, we explore a gentle art journaling practicecalled Intention Stones—a way to give shape, color, and texture to an inner intention you want to carry forward. You’ll begin with a short grounding meditation, then move into a simple creative prompt using whatever supplies you have...
-
I'm Not Unfocused - Just Done Thinking
Sometimes when your brain won’t engage, it’s easy to assume you’re distracted or unfocused. But what if your mind has simply reached its limit for themoment? In this episode, we explore the quiet moment when thinking feels foggy or heavy—and why that may be your nervous system asking for a pause....
-
When the World is Too Much: Your Reset Menu
When the world is too much, it helps to know what kind of “too much” it is. In this final episode of the series, I’m bringing together the three resets we’ve practiced—Setting the thoughts Aside, Setting the Past Aside, and Setting the Noise Aside—into one simple Reset Menu you can return to...
-
Setting the Noise Aside (When the World is Too Much #3)
When the world feels loud, your brain tries to stay on watch—scrolling, checking, absorbing, bracing. In this episode, Setting the Noise Aside (Part 3 of When the World Is Too Much), we’ll practice a gentle way to step out of the mental static without ignoring what matters. You’ll be guided…
more -
Setting the Past Aside (When the World is Too Much #2)
When the world is too much, the past can rush in fast—old feelings, old fear, old stories showing up like they’re happening right now. In this episode of Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care, I’ll guide you through a gentle practice to help you come back to the present moment without forcing,...
-
Setting the Thoughts Aside (When the World Is Too Much #1)
We’re beginning a new series called When the World Is Too Much—gentle practices for stressful times. When life feels heavy, your mind can get stuck in a loop—replaying, predicting, bracing, trying to stay prepared. In this episode, Setting the Thoughts Aside, we’ll practice a gentle way to step…
more -
DON’T TOUCH IT: The Art (and Life) Lesson We All Need
Have you ever ruined a perfectly good art page by trying to “fix” it? Same. 😄 Episode 11: DON’T TOUCH IT is a light, nervous-system-friendly practice for the part of us that tightens the grip—on art, on moments, on outcomes. We’ll talk about why “just one more thing” can be a cue to pause, then...
-
Begin Again— Release & Renew
If your “fresh start” is already wobbling… you’re not broken. You’re human. In this lighter, permission-giving episode of Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care, we take a soft look at the moment when motivation dips, routines unravel, and that inner critic gets a little too chatty. We’ll start with…
more -
Setting the Emotions Aside
When the outside world is too much, this is a gentle way to come back to yourself. In this episode, you’ll take a quiet pause from the noise and heaviness—just long enough to catch your breath and feel a little release. I’ll guide you through a short calming practice, then a simple art journaling...
-
When Old Feelings Take Over
Sometimes you’re ready to move forward… but an old feeling takes over — and your body tightens, freezes, or goes into overdrive. In this episode, you’ll try a gentle, nervous-system-friendly art journaling practice to help emotion move without overanalyzing or forcing a breakthrough. You’ll be...
-
Loosen Your Grip — From Overthinking to Flow
When overthinking kicks in, it can feel like your mind grabs the steering wheel — and your creativity (and calm) disappear. In this episode, you’ll try a simple art journaling practice designed to help your nervous system soften and help you shift from control into gentle flow. You’ll: Understand...
-
What I’m Releasing, What I’m Choosing
If the new year (or any new season of life) brings pressure, mixed feelings, or a loud “should” voice, this episode is a soft place to land. In just a few minutes, you’ll create a simple two-part artjournaling page: What I’m releasing… and what I’m choosing. No big resolutions. No pretending…
more -
Holding Yourself Gently at the Holidays
If the holidays feel difficult this year—lonely, exhausting, complicated, or heavy—you’re not alone. In this episode of Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care, Barbara offers a gentle space to be honest about what you’re feeling and create a simple art journaling page that supports your nervous...
-
From Chaos to Calm
Christmas is less than two weeks away—and if life feels loud, messy, a little out of control, and you’re craving even five minutes of calm, this episode is for you. And if you’re listening at another time of year, you’re still in the right place. Chaos doesn’t wait for a calendar. In From Chaos…
more -
When Your Mind Won't Slow Down
Does your brain love to speed up right when you’re finally ready to rest? If your mind feels like it’s juggling 37 open tabs—conversations, to-dos, worries, and “don’t forgets”—this episode is for you. In this gentle, guided session, we’ll use art journaling to give some of that mental noise a...
-
Start Where You Are
If you’ve ever looked at your journal (or your life) and thought, “I’m so behind… what’s the point of even starting now?” this episode is for you. Instead of waiting for the perfect day, perfect mood, or perfect plan, we’ll gently practice what it means to truly start where you are. In this...
-
A Gentle Gratitude Moment
This short episode of Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care is a gentle pause for Thanksgiving week. No pressure to feel a certain way—just an invitation to notice one small thing you’re grateful for and how it makes you feel. Grab your journal (or simply listen along) as Barbara guides you through…
more -
Trailer: Welcome to Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care
A short welcome from Barbara, your host. In this trailer, you’ll hear what Art Journaling for Calm & Self-Care is about, who it’s for, and what you can expect from each episode.
About this show
A gentle podcast for sensitive, creative souls who feel overwhelmed and want calmer, kinder days. Join Barbara, an artist and certified therapeutic art life coach, and creator of the meditative art journal A Garden for the Soul and the Joy of Journaling Circle, for simple art journaling practices using basic supplies. Each episode offers low-pressure prompts to ease stress, tend to your feelings, and build small self-care rituals you can actually keep.
Hosted by
Barbara Howrey
Categories