It’s been a rollercoaster year. If you’ve been feeling a lot, you’re not alone. In fact, a lot of people on our team agree that there have been so many emotions coming with this extra-challenging season that even naming them all can be pretty hard. So we want to recommend this DIY art therapy exercise to help.

It’s called a feeling wheel. And it’s so simple anyone of any art level can do it. All you need is:

• A piece of paper
• A pen or pencil
• Markers or crayons

Step one: draw a circle

Yep, that’s it.

Step two: divide it into parts

Draw lines to slice up your circle like a pie.

You’ve got some control here. If you’re feeling flooded with a bunch of different emotions, you might want to divide your circle into a bunch of segments. If you’re feeling a little daunted by this activity, we recommend starting with six segments.

Step three: grab a pen or pencil and name each segment

Now, without putting too much thought or worry into it, write the name of an emotion you’re feeling in each segment. Ideally, your gut should guide you.

If you’re feeling stumped, though, you can check out this already built-out feeling wheel. As the segments get smaller, the emotions get more nuanced. This can help you more easily name what you’re feeling.

Step four: color it in

Now, grab your markers or crayons and color in each segment. Choose the color that you feel best corresponds with the emotion.

Step five: reflect

Congrats! You just did a DIY art therapy exercise that should make it easier to name what you’re feeling.

It can be helpful to spend some time looking at your new art project. Which emotions did you write down first? Did you choose any surprising colors to correspond to any of the emotions? Did you feel tempted to use any colors twice?

Spending some time with this DIY art therapy exercise can help you slow down, take a breath, and name your feelings. That makes them feel more manageable and can help you identify things under the surface.

Repeat this activity periodically and you might start to notice trends in your emotions, too. Ultimately, this is a great way to tune in with yourself. Plus, when’s the last time you got to color?

At the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center, we love art therapy for its ability to help us approach emotions or topics in a way that doesn’t feel so scary. It can help you work through things you’re feeling even when you don’t have the words to express them. And we’d love to help you explore how art therapy can help you. If you’re curious about it, get in touch with our team.