There are several schools of thought and approaches to modelling the human psyche. One which I believe is used quite widely in addressing marital and family issues is Transactional analysis.

At its most basic it proposes the notion that all of us, adults and children, have three Ego-States, Parent, Adult, and Child, and in which we interact constantly with the rest of the world. “The Child is the source of emotions, creation, recreation, spontaneity and intimacy.”, so when we’re feeling low it seems to make sense to try to give expression to, and draw inspiration from the Child. Some artists, such as David Hockney, seem to refresh their creativity continually in that way.

As a quick fix for mental turmoil I always find reading poetry for a few minutes has a very calming effect. It can be anything, provided it’s not angst-ridden, because it seems to be the act of focusing, rather like deep breathing, that has the effect. For a quick mood lifter, visualisation works quite well. I usually visualise two teams of baby elephants and rhinos playing football.

In terms of places, the edge of the sea, or in it, seems to have a cleansing and refreshing effect on the mind, probably to do with the idea of all the tensions simply flowing into the vastness, or the idea expressed in Arthur Hugh Clough’s poem.