How to Make a Lifeline

Lifelines have been used in therapy for decades as a way to illustrate decision-making and the effects of the circumstances of our current life and lifestyle. The visualization of a bold straight line and how the moments of our lives fill it can help a person identify motives and make goals for the future. Simple to create, a lifeline can be a helpful part of self discovery and life review. Pick up a pen and paper and let's get started.

Things You'll Need

• 11-by-17-inch piece of white paper Black Sharpie pen Writing pad Ruler

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Instructions

• 1

  Get a piece of paper and a black marker or pen. This is the basis for your lifeline, so you want to make sure it's clean and neatly done.

• 2

  Draw a long horizontal line that runs the length of your paper. This line represents your life up to this point. Use a ruler so you get a good, straight line to start off your project.

• 3

  On a separate piece of paper, prepare your list of all the important events in your life. Start with your birth date, and then include any and all relevant moments, perhaps including your first date, marriage, birth of children and graduation from schools.

• 4

  Include also deaths or other traumas or illnesses that have had an effect on you. You may have had your tonsils out as a child, but if that doesn't have any relevance to you, you don't need to include it. You may find that a broken leg, however, presented a lot of challenges for you, so include that.

• 5

  Complete your list but take your time. Try to really think about the signficant things that have happened in your life and be honest. The lifeline is a tool of self discovery, so use it to your fullest advantage.

• 6

  Begin filling in your lifeline. Some people prefer to use different colors for different categories of occurrences, but the clean look of simple black notations makes the lifeline flow in a more readable way. Divide the lifeline into five-year chunks and make small lines to indicate the delineation. Write the details and dates vertically along the horizontal line.

• 7

  Take a good look and see your accomplishments and challenges. Note patterns of behavior and see how different situations feed off of each other and effect other decisions you made during that time period.

• 8

  Create some goals and write out some things you may have learned about yourself from looking at the lifeline. Post your lifeline in a private area so that you can remember the lessons you have learned.