If you follow my Instagram stories you will have seen my doodles, brushing back up on my skills and I can't tell you how therapeutic it's been. I've always been creative, I think my blog and photography has been a great outlet for this. But spending hours sat at the computer has really drained me and having some time away from a screen has been incredible for my wellbeing.
You don't have to be amazing at art to reap the rewards. Playing with color and different materials really does melt away daily stresses. If you would like to feel the benefits of this, I've put a few mindful activities together for you to have a go at - all based for those who are new to art.
Visualising your breathing.
Slowing down your breathing and taking deep breaths is an almost instant relief to stress and anxiety. It can be hard to do when stress and anxiety are high but having a visual can really help. Take a pen, pencil, brush - anything you have and start to draw as you take a deep breath in. When you release the breath (slowly) change the direction of the line. Keep doing this until you feel calm and your breath is under control.
If you want, you can work and build on the this. Perhaps adding color to sections or water to the lines so they bleed a little. Experiment and explore and see where it takes you. There is no pressure for this to be anything, just an opportunity for you to take time out of your day and regain a little calm.
Leaf colouring
This is something I've done with my children this weekend. This time of year is perfect for a little leaf art and is the perfect autumn activity. Collect leaves in various shapes and sizes, which in itself is a really lovely activity with children and then grab yourself a brew and get to creating. Markers work very well for this activity, beautiful patterns can be created very easily and something all the family can do together.
Bullet journaling
I love bullet journaling. It's a great creative way of getting thoughts, worries or making reflections to help relieve daily stresses. You can find out more about my Bullet Journal here.
Calming playdough
Playdough, it's not just for kids! Playdough is often used as a form of therapy for children. The idea is that they have full control over their creativity, whereas they may not have that same control in their day to day lives. This is something you can do with children and will again help to melt away daily stresses. You can even make your own scented playdough, adding calm ingredients such as lavender.
While art therapy is its own field, you can use the benefits of art to express your creative side and drawing skills to reduce stress and get in touch with your feelings. A lot of these activities you perhaps have done as a child, we traditionally think of them as calmer activities for children. However, it is unlikely that we make time for these ourselves. You may not think you're any "good" at creating art, or you may not think it's worth your time, but art is actually a valuable pastime, even for those who don't consider themselves artistically inclined.
I would love to hear if you use art as a form of self care and what activities you like to do. I'm thinking of making this into more of a regular series, so if you would like to hear more then make sure you're following me over on Instagram.
Mummy B xoxox