Art making can be a great way to express, explore, self-soothe and calm. However, sometimes things can become overwhelming. Not having a therapist present can mean that you don’t have the guidance and containment that the therapeutic relationship provides. There are some strategies that you can use, if this is an issue for you, to make sure self-guided art therapy is safe:

1. Set some rules when you are feeling particularly vulnerable i.e. stick to set directives such as: using four colours draw an image that represents the four elements. Choose an activity like this that is limited in materials and direct in instruction. 
2. When you particularly feel you need to keep safe, do something predictable, repetitive and containing such as mandala designs, colouring in books, or Zentangles.
3. Explore new ideas when feeling positive; do something you’ve always wanted to; practice with some new materials; develop art making skills.
4. When in between these states, experimenting with colours can be a good activity to explore (have some choice, but try to not be overwhelmed by too much, e.g. stick to a simple colour wheel).

It’s all about putting boundaries in place so that you are safe. Trust your gut feeling and don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right.