In my late 30s, I was feeling weighed down by many things when I came across cartoonist Lynda Barry’s book 100 Demons. Near the end, she suggested that readers try drawing their own demons. That idea immediately spoke to me. Barry used an ink brush to keep the drawings intuitive and flowing, but I remembered how, years earlier, after breaking my right arm, writing and drawing with my left hand had felt different— messy, yes, but also more honest and connected to what I was really feeling.

So, I got a pad of paper and a Sharpie marker and began a nightly routine of drawing the things that were troubling me. Early on, I decided to add the word antidote and see what would come. The words often felt small or even silly at first, but whenever I returned to the drawings, the anitdotes rang true.

I’ve been practicing this for years now. With the help of Stephanie Salmon, I’ve selected drawings that might have the most universal appeal. Here they are: