Have you dealt with difficult emotions? Or experienced a mental trough when you felt helpless, confused, and lost? What about periods of stress and anxiety? How have you been able to overcome them?

Mental health is often overlooked or under-appreciated among adolescents and young adults. At the same time, in some cultures, mental health is misunderstood as abnormal behavior.

Time changes us. As children, we were naive, playing hide and seek with friends, building with Legos, and drawing crazy “masterpieces” ...... That was, we lived in the moment, carefree. When we grew up, there came more responsibilities, concerns, worries, stress, and anxiety.

Sometimes, we may feel self-doubt, lack confidence, and devalue ourselves. As a result, we may feel sad, lonely, confused, and helpless. For example, arguing with our parents, being estranged from our friends, facing a stressful study load, or experiencinga series of unhappy life situations. We may lose ourselves in this process, especially our most innocent and sincere inner child.

These emotions, which are difficult to express in words, can be expressed through art. Art therapy, unlike talk-based psychotherapy, focuses on non-verbal elements, emphasizing the process of creating art to reveal the creator’s innermost emotional world. In the process, the creator can organize and repair the negative emotions, thereby reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety while increasing their sense of self-worth.

Many renowned people also promote art therapy. JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, wrote the Harry Potter series while suffering from depression. Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, once said, "Art fills our souls and makes us whole."

Thus, we need your help to share your stories, emotional journeys, or ways of coping with difficult emotions through a form of art, so we can support the well-being of your own and everyone else’s.

This project will not take much time. Your small act of creating a small artwork may impact someone's life significantly.

We want this project to be for you as well. When you feel lost, helpless, and alone, you have us, HopeThruCranes. You can always read someone else's story here or gain insight from other people’s ways of soothing negative emotions. Regardless, we wish you well every day.