Being a birthmother is hard with all the ups and downs of the emotional rollercoaster ride that adoption is. We (birthmothers) need outlets for all of the emotions we feel. We need healthy and creative ways to work through the emotions and to cope with being a birthmother. Therapeutic activities are a great way to do this.

What are therapeutic activities?
The term therapeutic activities sounds really fancy, but it’s not. Therapeutic activities are simply activities that provide you with some personal healing, peace, and/or comfort. They can be an outlet of self expression. They are beneficial because they allow us to physically do something and sometimes to create something tangible to look back on. Therapeutic activities are not going to take away the pain or instantly make you feel like a whole person, but they will provide you with a means to take your mind off things and a way to creatively express some of the many emotions you feel. Therapeutic activities are not meant to replace traditional counseling or therapy but to enhance and extend it.

Personally speaking, therapeutic activities are very helpful to me. I have always been the type of person who tends to creatively express my inner most thoughts and feelings in some way, be it in poetry, making a craft, or speaking to a room full of people about adoption. What therapeutic activities work for me may not be the same ones that work for the next birthmother. Each person has to find the things that work the best for her.

In the next few post, I will suggest and explore some different activities that myself or other birthmothers may find therapeutic. As this series progresses, I’d love to know what works for you. What outlets make you feel better and what helps you cope or express your emotions?