Lifeline Exercise Guidelines

Get a large sheet of easel paper or shelf paper. You will need crayons, magic markers and pens as well. For fun, you might want to have stickers, feathers, glitter, and other assorted materials, including pictures cut out of magazines, or pictures of you at various stages of your life.

Begin, by drawing a life line which best represents your sense of your life. Is it a straight line, or does it have lots of peaks and valleys? Whatever form your lifeline takes will work. Trust your hand as it draws a basic form that will give shape to the following steps in the exercise. You may want to do this first part in pencil so if you need to make changes later on you can.

You will most likely want to include some of the major experiences in your life such as entering first grade, your first summer job, etc. You will also want to list major events such as marriage, children, jobs and subsequent career life work events. As you recollect each experience and assess its value , your life line will visually begin to reflect the highs and the lows. You can use the crayons to draw pictures or symbols or use words and phrases to identify the value you ascribe to it. When done you will not only have the wonderful feeling of having created a masterpiece that provides a comprehensive overview of your life, but you will also be able to see and interpret patterns that have occurred throughout time.