SELF-PORTRAIT

Close your eyes and do the relaxation exercise. With eyes still closed, turn your attention inward and be with yourself quietly for awhile. Experience simply being you. Then ask yourself:

How do I see myself?

Focus on your perception of yourself using your inner eye. See if some visual images come to mind in the form of symbols, colors, shapes. Or you may experience thoughts or feelings or visualize your physical appearance as you imagine it, see it in mirrors or photographs.

Let your perception of yourself flow out onto your journal page in some form of drawn expression.

Study the drawing over and see what it "says" to you. Write down your feelings and thoughts in response to what you see on the page.

With your eyes closed, focus inward again. This time ask yourself:

How would I like to see myself?

Now draw an image of how you would like to perceive yourself, a projection of the person you want to become. Let your drawing speak, introducing itself in the first person. Let it tell about itself and then write down what it says.

Uses: This exercise reveals your present self-image and your self-concept in general. You can examine how your perception and beliefs about yourself affect your attitudes, behavior, and expectations. You can also see how you create limitations for yourself and pinpoint areas in need of change.

Through positive auto-suggestion in the form of visualization of your desired self-image, you can learn to build up the attitudes and beliefs necessary to bring about satisfying changes. This is an excellent example of applied creativity in everyday life. By using your imagination and creative expression to project a new you, you are affirming your strength and directing your life toward greater fulfillment.