Using Art Therapy to Close the Year

Kicking Off 2026 With DIY Art Therapy

The start of a new year invites reflection, release, and reimagining. You don’t need to be an artist (or have everything figured out) to use creativity as a tool for clarity. These simple art therapy prompts are designed to help you externalize your inner world, process what you’re carrying, and gently explore what you want to call in for 2026. Move through them intuitively, taking breaks when needed, and let the process matter more than the final result.

• Represent Your Desires With A Vision Board. Gather images, words, colors, and textures that pull at you emotionally, not logically. Without overthinking, arrange them on the page alongside quotes, phrases, and words that represent your hopes, wants, and needs for the upcoming year. Put it up someplace where you’ll see it everyday for the next year and be reminded of where you were and what you wanted when the year began.

• Let Go Of This Year’s Attachments With Impermanent Chalk Art. Using sidewalk chalk or a chalkboard, draw symbols, words, or shapes that represent what you’re ready to release from the past year. If it doesn’t look how you’d like, release that as well. When you’re done, intentionally erase or wash them away with water. Mindfully breathe and imagine those erased words and symbols escaping through your measured breath. 

• Discover What You Want For Your Future With Tarot Interpretation. Pulling tarot cards allows us to turn the mirror on our internal world. When we view our lives through the lens of tarot, we can take a step back and see our smaller individual story in the context of the larger collective story of humanity (represented by the symbols, stories, and myths told by the cards). 

Winter Art Therapy For Seasonal Depression

Winter can intensify feelings of heaviness, isolation, and fatigue, especially for those who experience seasonal depression. Shorter days, colder temperatures, and reduced sunlight can make it harder to access motivation and joy. Art therapy offers a supportive way to stay connected to yourself during the winter months, providing warmth, expression, and emotional movement when everything else feels slow or frozen.

• Use Art Therapy To Reconnect With The Inner Child. Seasonal depression can pull us into seriousness and emotional shutdown. Art therapy gently invites play back into the process. Reconnecting with your inner child through art—using bright colors, simple materials, or familiar childhood mediums—can soften self-criticism and open space for curiosity. This kind of creative play doesn’t require skill or structure; it allows you to experience moments of lightness and safety, which are especially important during darker seasons.

• Keep Making Art When You’re Depressed. Depression often tells us to stop—to withdraw, to rest endlessly, or to wait until we “feel better” before creating. Art therapy encourages the opposite: continuing to make art even when energy is low. This doesn’t mean pushing yourself to produce something meaningful or complete. Small, imperfect creative acts can provide momentum, helping you stay emotionally engaged and connected during periods of numbness or sadness.

• Seek Out Beautiful Places When The Weather Is Gloomy. When winter landscapes feel gray and uninspiring, intentionally seeking beauty can be a powerful therapeutic practice. This might look like visiting a museum, sitting near a window with natural light, or visiting one of the many beautiful places in St. Petersburg now flocked with both literal and figurative snowbirds. Bringing beauty into your environment—or documenting it through art—can counterbalance seasonal heaviness and remind your nervous system that warmth, color, and possibility still exist.

Finding Anxiety Relief Through Art Therapy In 2026 

Art therapy offers a gentle, accessible way to process anxious thoughts, regulate the nervous system, and build emotional awareness—without requiring you to have the “right words.” In 2026, creative practices are increasingly recognized as effective complements to traditional mental health care, helping people meet anxiety with curiosity rather than avoidance.

• Make Time For Art Even When You Are Busy. When anxiety is high, creativity is often the first thing we push aside. Busy schedules, responsibilities, and pressure to be productive can make art feel like an indulgence rather than a necessity. In reality, consistent creative time can act as a preventative mental health practice. Even ten minutes of drawing, painting, or collage can create a pause in the day, signaling to your nervous system that it’s safe to slow down. Making time for art isn’t about creating something impressive. It’s value is in you giving your mind and body space to breathe.

• Address Your Anxiety Rather Than Ignoring It. Express, represent, and address your anxiety rather than ignoring it. Sometimes when we’re processing major anxiety, it can be hard to put words to what we’re feeling. When we get specific about these anxieties through art, it can put us in a position to communicate these feelings to others. When we allow ourselves to be honest and open about what we’re going through to ourselves, we can more easily be honest and open about our feelings with our support system.

• Art Therapy Can Calm Your Nervous System. When I was being treated for my depression and found myself too emotionally activated to make any progress, I would pull my water color brushes out of my backpack and start painting. This was not me breaking the rules, this was what my therapist prescribed to me. When we cultivate a love for art and making art, it can soothe our nerves and heal our hearts when we need it.

How To Find In-Network St. Petersburg Art Therapy In 2026

If you’re considering starting art therapy at Integrative Counsel, one of the first questions you might have is whether we accept your insurance. Navigating insurance coverage for creative and expressive therapies can feel overwhelming, and that’s not exactly the kind of ease most people are looking for when beginning a healing process. Here’s what you need to know about accessing art therapy services, understanding your benefits, and finding care that feels both supportive and affordable.

No matter who your insurance provider is, we’re here to help you explore your options for art therapy. When you book an intake appointment, we’ll work with you to match you with an art therapist who fits your goals and your budget. That might look like using insurance benefits, exploring sliding-scale options, utilizing a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, or helping you find a trusted provider outside our practice. At Integrative Counsel, our priority is helping you access care—creatively and compassionately.

Art Therapists Who Accept Aetna Insurance.
If you’re covered by Aetna, you may be eligible for art therapy services through our practice. Our art therapists work within your insurance benefits to offer expressive, integrative care that supports emotional growth and healing.

Art Therapists Who Accept Cigna Insurance.
Finding an art therapist who accepts Cigna doesn’t have to be complicated. Wherever you are in your therapeutic journey, we’ll help connect you with a right-fit art therapist whose services are covered by your plan.

Art Therapy For People With Optum.
Looking for art therapy that fits into your life and your insurance coverage? If you’re insured through Optum Oscar, Optum Oxford, or United Optum, we can help match you with an art therapist who’s covered by your plan and aligned with your needs.

Where To Look For Virtual Art Therapy In Florida

 If you feel burnt out, are going through a major life transition, and are wanting to tap into your creativity as you move along on your healing journey, working with a creative arts therapist can help can help you process emotions, reduce stress, and reconnect with yourself in meaningful and authentic ways.

 Click here to schedule a free consultation. Our intake specialist will help you get matched up with your perfect therapist.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.