Buttons are Helping Me Keep it Together

As you may know, I have a number of health challenges.  When I started back on dialysis last March, after a 20 year run with my kidney transplant, it was another life adjustment.  At times I felt down and frustrated as I had to learn to accept this major lifestyle change in my life again. How do I deal with the challenges?  One of the strategies I use to cope is to engage in the creative process.

When I am creating something or watching someone create, it helps me relax and get my mind off my health issues. It also helps me stay distracted so I don’t eat or drink out of boredom.

I love the Food Channel with Bobby Flay throwing down his cooking skills and using all kinds of colorful ingredients.  The HGTV channel has many shows that transform old broken down shacks in to dream homes.

I have always believed that if you take the body the mind will follow, so I thought I needed a new art therapy project to get my mind in a good place.

A friend of mine turned me on to buttons.  She made these beautiful button bracelets and each one looks like a piece of art.  I wanted to learn how to make them, so she showed me how.  I was off and running with my new found fun.  The more I learned about buttons and the history behind them, the more intrigued I became.

It became like a treasure hunt for me. I often search for that perfect button that will complete my bracelet.  I scavenged garage sales, vintage stores, Ebay and, once people knew I was collecting buttons, friends started sending me theirs.  There are so many different types of buttons: silver, gold, ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl, glass, stone, wood, horn, ceramic, Bakelite, plastic, and polymer clay and some dating back as far as the 18th century.

I was wondering why I was so attracted to buttons and making something new out of them.  Then I realized that most of the buttons I receive have been sitting in an old jar and may have been thrown away.

I am giving the buttons a new life.  Buttons also are known for keeping things together. On several occasion my girlfriends come over and we sort buttons into color piles, design a bracelet or just chit-chat.  Buttons are helping me connect with my friends.

Art therapy offers many benefits from stress reduction and enjoyment through creativity, to learning a sense of mastery, problem-solving, and improves self-esteem.

Art and emotions are closely linked so art-making can help to positively alter one's mood.  I always feel better after I finish a bracelet.

So I encourage you to engage in a creative activity.  It will help you get through the tough times.