Written by: Heather Gibson, MA, LMFT
Découpage {de·cou·page}: the art of decorating surfaces by applying cutouts (as of paper) and then coating with usually several layers of finish (such as lacquer or varnish)
I’ve always loved making ‘vision boards’. Digging through old magazines from under the coffee table. Getting out your scissors and some glue. The visceral feel of the glossy pages as you flip through, waiting for an image or quote to catch your eye. Some small clipping that encapsulates a piece of you. I never realized that as I was coating the surfaces of books & trinket boxes with layers of glue and paper that the process was actually providing a few therapeutic benefits.
It turns out that it is very grounding to make a vision board. We ground ourselves whenever we focus on the present moment; the here and now. When we use our five senses we can literally connect with the room we are in, rather than having our mind race with anxious thoughts. Vison: We use our eyes to scan the pages of magazines, looking at the bright images, the inspirational words. Touch: We use our hands to turn the pages, to lightly drag a fingertip over pictures we admire. Auditory: The sound of the scissors slicing through the delicate pages. Olfactory: The smell of wet glue. That unique magazine smell.
In addition to being relaxing, making a vision board can actually guide our goals, hopes, and dreams for our future. Whether or not you believe in manifestation, there is power in creating the space to collect our thoughts, organize our goals, and put words (or pictures) to where we would like to see ourselves in 1,5, or 10 years. Perhaps you really hope to travel one day. You might see a picture of a bright hostel in Spain, an airplane in the clouds, or fancy passport cover. By clipping these images and putting them on your board you are setting an intention for the goal to travel one day. You’re further defining that goal by saying “I think I’d like to go to Spain...I’ll need to work on getting my passport”. Displaying your vision board where you’ll see it every day serves as a reminder of your goals. It might even inspire you to chip away at them, to pick a small, achievable step.
Perhaps you’ve just cleaned out the clutter in your home and tossed those old magazines! Or maybe you’re looking for a more modern and tech-savvy twist. When the website Pinterest first came out about ten years ago, I was instantly hooked! The ability to create virtual vision boards, “pinning” those same inspirational quotes and images, organizing your boards a hundred different ways. Pinterest is so much more than just recipes and DIY crafts. It can be an excellent hub for worksheets, resources, mental health information, emotional vocab sheets, homework ideas for kiddos, inspiring mantras and more. This is why we have created a Pinterest page for Positive Change Counseling Center! www.pinterest.com/PositiveChangeCounseling Our hope is that it can be a resource for therapy clients, other clinicians, or anyone looking for a little interpersonal inspiration. We have ‘boards’ dedicated to children, couples therapy, grief, ADHD, depression, anxiety, emotions, meditation and more!
We hope that you’ll follow our Pinterest page, and that you’re feeling a little more inspired to start imagining your goals for the future. What you visualize, you can actualize.
Happy pinning!
Positive Change Counseling Center Blog
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