One Aphasia Action is a set of small, actionable activities you can do from home that will help you retain speech progress.

Doodling is a mental vitamin. It can help you concentrate on other tasks. It stimulates new networks in the brain. Plus it can be an emotional release, regardless of your artistic skill. Let your pen (or pencil) move wherever it feels like moving. That’s the best part about doodling. You don’t need to be a great artist to enjoy it. You can be creative, which boosts happiness.

Of course, after your five minutes of doodling, use the drawing to start a conversation. Show it to a friend or family member. Feeling shy? Try talking to yourself about it, describing what you put on the paper. Draw a character and tell yourself an on-going story by drawing a little stick figure in new situations. Get creative, but most of all, have fun.

You can find all of the One Aphasia Action activities on this list. This works best if you start on Day 1 and work at your own pace, even if you’re finding this project long after it has started. Try every activity, even if you only do it once. Keep doing the activities you like, repeating them the next day along with the new activity, and drop the ones that don’t work for you.