It can be difficult recognizing all the parts of your Self. Drawing or doodling can provide a more intuitive, less concrete way to capture, describe, and show the connections between each part.

In this exercise we will create a picture to capture the various parts of your Self and how they combine.

• Step one - begin with a large blank sheet of paper or use the box below. Without trying to be too neat start drawing, or writing labels, for the various parts of your Self you can identify. For example. parent, workaholic, career, joker, etc.

• Step two - show connections that you feel are important. You may end up with something that looks like a mind map.

• Step three - use colors or shapes to indicate which parts you like or feel optimistic about and which ones your don't like or feel pessimistic about. For example, perhaps some are critical, while others are compassionate.

• Step four - reflect on the picture you have created. In the box below, describe how you feel about each part? Are they good or bad, and why?

• Step five - which parts do you struggle to allow in and how do you think you might integrate them into your Self?

Drawing the picture and working through this exercise will help you form a clearer picture of the parts and their relationships to your Self.

Dr. Jeremy Sutton