Expressive Arts Therapy for Moms: A Guided Exercise for Anxiety and Mom Guilt
She had been coming to see me for a few years.
Anxiety that wouldn't quit.
Constantly overwhelmed.
Never fully enjoying motherhood.
Never having time that was just hers.
She described it the way so many moms do - like the thoughts just keep spinning, going non-stop, and no matter what she tried she couldn't get a handle on it.
Through this exact exercise, she found something she hadn't felt in a long time. A sense of calm that stayed even when things were chaotic. Even when the racing thought train came back. She became more present - for herself and for her kids. And she reclaimed her identity beyond just being an anxious mom.
She didn't do that in my office. She took the exercise home and repeated it. That's how the change happened. She did that for herself.
This is that exercise.
Why anxious moms stay stuck
Almost every mom I talk to describes some version of the same thing. That perpetual spinning. The internal sensation of anxiety that just keeps going, non-stop, exhausting everyone it lives inside.
Most moms have tried the obvious things. The deep breaths. The journaling. The apps. And they help, sometimes, for a minute. But the anxiety comes back because the body hasn't actually been heard yet - just managed.
Expressive arts therapy works differently. It gives the body a way to say what it's been carrying before the brain gets involved and starts explaining it away.
Kayla Huszar is a Registered Social Worker trained in expressive arts therapy, practicing virtually across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. This is the kind of practice she uses with moms in session - and it works just as well with the crayons already on your kitchen counter.
Before you start: the one thing anxious moms need to know
Anxiety loves control. It loves planning. It loves being prepared.
So this exercise asks you to do the opposite. Be spontaneous. Don't plan what you'll make. Don't prepare. Just follow the exercise and see what comes.
You can do this with your kids around. You can do this on your lunch break. You need a cozy spot, something to drink, and whatever art supplies are nearby. Crayons and printer paper count. That's enough.
The 3-part expressive arts exercise for moms
Follow along with the video above, or read through and do it at your own pace.
Part 1: Body awareness
Start with a few deep belly breaths - in through the nose, out through the mouth. Really feel the surface beneath you. Be here, now.
Then bring your awareness slowly through your body. Start at your feet - stretch your toes, feel them take up space. Move up through your ankles, legs, thighs, pelvis. Up into your belly. Your chest. Roll your shoulders back. Move down your arms into your hands. Up into your neck, your jaw, your face, the space behind your eyes. Rest at the top of your head.
At each place, just notice. Not trying to change anything, shift anything, or judge anything. Just allowing whatever is there to be there.
Now imagine your body is full of color. Whatever the physical sensations are - whatever you felt, whatever you'd rather not feel - give it a color. A shape. Maybe it feels like a boulder in your stomach or an elephant on your chest. Stay with that image. Breathe.
Notice any stories running in the background too. Just notice them. Don't follow them anywhere.
Stay with your body as long as you need. When you're ready, move to part two.
Part 2: Make something
Come back to the room and make an art piece - spontaneously, out of nothing, or as a representation of what you just felt in your body.
Follow your intuition. Don't plan it. If you feel pulled toward a color, start there. If you feel pulled toward a shape, start there. Let the piece tell you where it's going instead of the other way around.
When I did this exercise, I started with pastels but wasn't satisfied with a blank page - I needed something already on it before I could begin. I kept shifting the orientation until it felt right. The only words that ended up on my piece were emotions and a question. My message to myself was about sitting in reflection and asking the right questions - because if someone had asked me how I felt in that moment, I couldn't have named it.
Something will come to you too. Trust that.
Part 3: Write about it
When the piece feels done - and paying attention to when it feels done is part of the process - spend a few minutes with these prompts:
What would you title this piece?
Describe your process for making it.
What is the essence of what you made?
If this piece could say something to you, what would it say?
What emotions came up while you were making it?
What's your takeaway? What's your message?
Writing after creating helps the mind catch up with what the body just expressed. Even a few sentences is enough.
What this has to do with mom guilt
The moms Kayla works with describe a version of the same loss. They used to make things. They used to have a creative life that belonged to them. And somewhere in early motherhood it got quietly absorbed into the family - kid crafts, school projects, things made for other people.
Creative identity loss sits right alongside mom guilt, taking up space in a body that already has too much running through it. Most moms don't even name it as a loss. They just notice that something is missing and assume it's a them problem.
This exercise is a small door back to yourself. Not a cure. Not a transformation. Just fifteen minutes that are yours, and a body that finally gets to say something.
Journal prompts for moms after the exercise
When did you last make something just for yourself - not for your kids, not for anyone else?
What does your anxiety feel like in your body? Where does it live?
What would it mean to give that part of you some space today?
What’s your biggest takeaway from this exercise? Share your thoughts in the comments below—I’d love to hear how this practice resonates with you!
And if you’re looking for more, check out my blog for expressive arts journal prompts, my go-to art supply list, and simple ways to make creativity part of your real, messy mom life.
