Rewiring Anxiety by Using Movement to Promote Self-Care: An Action Research Self-Study

Abstract

This paper summarizes this beginning art therapist's master's level capstone project. My project began in Fall 2019 as I was experiencing increased stress, anxiety, and perfectionism in my clinical internship, which was influencing how I responded to people both personally and professionally. I have autism and have often referred to myself as a recovering perfectionist, both of which are factors that have affected specifically my anxiety and interactions. I wanted to find more effective coping strategies. In Spring 2020, I conducted an action research self-study to explore the therapeutic effects of movement to reduce my unhealthy stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. Action research encourages practitioners of any vocation to learn by "doing" in order to change or improve their practice, their understanding of it, and the environments in which they work. This study empowered me to realize how familiar movements can both reduce and rewire my unhealthy stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. It has also helped me to improve my practice and step confidently into art therapy as an increasingly independent clinician. A major outcome of this project that could help others was discovering the importance of self-care and self-compassion in the process of becoming an art therapist.