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I believe this is my first painting as I rediscovered the five year old in me. Loving her and letting her know that she is me. Through a conversation, I got to see I was loved. The picture shows life in many colors with a kalkaleidoscope of images It wasn't until it dried that the story from the paint arose and touches the inner being. Thanks for having me see that miracle that God has for each of us. -- Gail Kabrich  (See her art here)

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Taking photos has always been a tool I have used for my recovery. When you can appreciate the beauty around you, you can begin to appreciate yourself. I also love seeing things in different ways. Trees take on human form, water becomes flowing gold, the sky becomes a blazing fire. Practicing seeing things in a different light is good training for looking for the good in everything and everybody. - Janet Paleo (See her photo show here)

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When I first started seeing a psychiatrist, he put me on Xanax for my frequent bouts of anxiety. It helped somewhat. Several years and doctors later I was put on Klonopin or the generic Cloazepam, which only worked when I had high anxiety if I took triple the dosage I was prescribed. I don't recommend doing this. My problem was that my anxieties filled my thoughts. They completely overwhelmed me.

One day my neighbor showed me a few stitches of crocheting and I found that I liked it. What’s more, the tedious, repetitive stitches took my complete attention. I noticed that if I was feeling anxious about something, 10 minutes or so of crocheting caused my anxiety to decrease. It worked the same way as deep breathing exercises do for some people, by causing me to concentrate totally on something other than my anxiety. 

I prefer crocheting over Klonopin because I can do as much of it as I want to without overdosing, and I’ve given several people some pretty nice gifts that I’ve crotched. Just recently I’ve been offered money to crochet blankets and scarves and such which also decreases my anxiety over money. Debbie Neisler