Expressive Arts Therapy and Public Speaking

I have been doing public speaking with a local self-help group and getting better at it. I was a teacher in my past but as the years went by of disability and more isolation, I saw myself as being incapable of speaking before adults. Now I am capable of doing some public speaking which is a good development for me, and something I never imagined me doing.

One challenge was to put myself out there and at least speak to this club on a myriad of issues. I've done two speeches this month, one on loneliness and how to deal with it, and another one on Poetry Therapy. Here I had the folks use stem sentences to trigger thoughts and sensory poems with lines like "Happiness feels like", "Happiness sounds like"_____ fill in the blank. Both went pretty well, husband helped with the second. I did have my days where I did some art therapy and was an art teacher. I worked under a psychologist and was trained in various aspects of art therapy. There were parts of that I liked, and in my volunteer work, I have been able to use some of what I was educated in. I did love these fields, even  if I later ended up poor and sick, I think my interest in art therapy and other expressive therapies will remain life long.

I do hope I can build my confidence back up. I am an almost 500lb woman out there working on my communication and confidence skills. Even if I am sick, I do want to give what I can to others and to my community during times when I can get out.