Mental Health 101

• Normalize your feelings: “It’s okay to not feel okay.”
• Recognize environmental factors such as seasonal shifts, work pressure and personal obligations that may offset your

Maintain small, low-cost coping habits: 

• 10–30 minutes outside
• gentle exercise
• regulated sleep
• limiting alcohol 
• talking to someone trusted every week

• Reach out: Crisis contacts and local mental health resources are available.
• Avoid Isolation: Try short check-in circles, shared activities, and community meetings in your area.

1. Tension: Escalation towards an incident
2. The Incident: Verbal, physical, or sexual abuse occurs.
3. Reconciliation: The abuser apologizes, blames, or gaslights.
4. Calm: The cycle appears to have ended before tension builds again.

• Hypervigilance: A constant state of high alert.
• Intrusive Memories: Flashbacks or nightmares.
• Avoidance: Steering clear of people, places, or conversations.
• Negative Cognition: Distorted self-blame, shame, and self-worth

1. Survivor-Centered Advocacy: Local domestic violence shelters and programs.
2. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC): Peer support services in-person or online.
3. Economic Empowerment: Victim lending programs.
4. Clinical Therapy (CBT/EMDR): Highly effective for traumatic memories & PTSD.

• UMass Mindfulness Center
• The Big Joy Project
• Samaritans
• Musicares
• HeyPeers
• The Longevity Vault
• Girls Not Brides

• International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA)
• Expressive Art Therapy Toolkit
• 10 Art Therapy Exercises for Trauma Recovery
• 10 Best Art Therapy Activities for Stress Reduction
• Music Therapy for Kids w/ Autism
• Autism Parenting Magazine

• Wikipedia: List of suicide crisis lines
• International Suicide Hotline Listings 
• Global Network of Women’s Shelters
• Hot Peach Pages
• The Pixel Project
• The Polaris Project
•  Coalition Against Trafficking in Women

• Hidden Brain
• Berkeley Greater Good
• Everything Explained by Ducks
• Sketching Serenity Great Meditations

• Apple Health
• Google Fit
• Sleep Cycle
• The Yoga Journal
• Yoga w/Adriene 

• Insight Timer
• Calm
• Headspace
• Remember The Milk
• Smiling Mind
• LetterLife for Women
• 7 Cups

Our Art therapy themes are created on a monthly basis for individuals with :

• mental health conditions 
• chronic/terminal illness
• physical/mental impairments
• trauma & addiction
• PTSD & Burnout

• Each Open Call lasts for the month to allow space to fully explore the theme. 
• Create in the manner & medium that is unique to you.
• Recognize that healing is the goal rather than perfection.

• We feature 25 - 45 submitted works per month from the international community to inspire you on your creative journey. 
• Our Art Judges and Staff also submit work to provide style guidance for those new to the Arts.

• The 34 Gallery offers professional art critiques for our selected artists, which can assist in securing additional career and creative opportunities.
• Please note: We can only provide critiques for work that has been accepted in our Open Calls or Interludes.

• Certificates of Honor are also provided as proof of Open Call participation. 
• All 34 Gallery Artists are able to attain professional recommendation letters for employment and/or school upon request. 

Additional mental health arts advocacy positions include serving as volunteer Art Judges, Article Contributors, and Staff.