Do you have the problem of overthinking and being stressed most of the times? So you must be looking for a way to become happier, calmer and more focused. Do you like to doodle in your free time? If yes, then the answer to stress could be lying in between the pages of your sketchbook! Guess what? You have the handy method just right at your fingertips. You can actually meditate with your pen or pencil.
Doodling is a form of meditation with relieves stress. It is a drawing experience which does not restrict you with a limit. It encourages you to look at the materialistic physical world in whatever way you like and allows you to draw from your mind's perspective. It lets your pencil guide you the way to our minds. Freestyle doodling lets your pet roam around to explore the creativity of the mind.
There are no such specifications in doodling. The aim is not the results; it is the process. The creativity you are experiencing is what matters the most. The process is important than results. In the world where we are always concerned about the results and fear from making mistakes, doodling offers the exact opposite situation. It gives you the liberty to take your time and scribble away anything without any goal in mind. The repetitive patterns in the doodling process have the power of meditation. These patterns are usually called the “strings.” Since we generally doodle with pens, there is nothing to erase. This implicates that there is no eraser in real life and 'what is done is done.' The ink is dry and can never be changed. We create some marks in the world, and the people live here. Those marks on them can never go away. They may fade away as there are more marks on the top created by other people. That is how the world works. This is the metaphorical meaning behind the process of doodling.
The conscious discipline will make you more aware of the happenings in life. The patterns or strings may remind you of the things you have seen before. You can follow the freestyle or the fixed patterns. Doodling even tells a lot about a person. If you follow a freestyle pattern that means you are somewhere a person who fears for a monotonous and scheduled life. And vice versa, if you follow a fixed pattern that indicates that you like a fixed and settled life. In the process of doodling, you never are restricted to one style. Doodling simply awakens your desire to do more and more. In order to understand the process, you need to try it yourself to see the impact it can actually give you. Let us now dive in the relaxing benefits that doodling has the capability to provide you:
#1. You Can Amaze Yourself
Drawing or doodling to be very precise is not a god given talent that only a few people can have. It is no mystery that it has a rocket science involved. It will just take a couple of days to understand that how your brain connects with your body. Day by day, you will make new connections to recreate the forms that you have already made. Sometimes you get surprised by your own self. It will develop a creative habit to enhance your skill that will be helpful for the whole life. As the days will pass, you will see your sketchbook filling up with beautiful designs and patterns. Gradually you will become proud of yourself. It will enhance your confidence and improve you as a human being as well. Once you start loving the process, it will make you eager to do it more often.
#2. Discovery Of The Playful Spirit
Most of the people drew and painted when they were kids because at that stage we do not care about the final results. That was only for fun without worrying about how much talent you have. Reconnecting with that side of being playful is like living that childhood experiences all over again. The adventurous spirit lets you liberate and relax your thoughts like the way you want to. Even if you hadn't drawn when you were probably five years old, investing a few minutes into drawing will lead to your playful side again. It will unleash an energy that you had when you were a kid. The energy and motivation you get from there remain the whole day to convert it into a productive one. Reconnecting with childhood is like living that phase and present one at the same time.
#3. Tell Your Stories
Life is like a reign of the whole empire. You need to take out time and seize that. By doodling every day, you will realize that you are making different records. Since you have only yourself to compare with, you will encounter that you are learning every single day. You have the freedom and capability to tell different stories daily. You have the liberty to control the story as you like. You can compare how you are living and how you want to live. It will keep a balance between the life you deserve and the life you desire. You will find something significant day in your sketchbook. This way the growth in your lifestyle takes place at a very rapid speed. It will also make you realize the changes that you are having in your life. All your stress will be burst in the book of memories you are making. It will be the proof of what is actually important in your life.
#4. Living In Present
Artists claim to live in the present and not think about future. This is a fact as creating artwork stops the time mentally. When you are trying to focus on something in order to depict that in your drawing, you will realize that you will think only about the present, not the future or the past. Instead of being present in the virtual world, you will be living the moment that you are in. The head will stop working for all those materialistic things and you will end up stressing less about it. The spiritual world never lets you stress, only the materialistic world does. Worrying about the future will not make it better, but living the present will certainly make it beautiful. So let the world be, take a deep breath and doodle. You do not need an app or mantra to relieve the stress; only a pen will work.
#5. Love The Imperfections
People are usually conscious of doing things they are not really good at. Some people are tempted to do some things but avoid doing them for the same reason. Everyone is so fascinated with perfection that everything which is not perfect is considered as average. But what if someone willingly wants to settle for average? Doodling allows you to embrace the imperfections. Since no one is perfect, doodling celebrates the idea of being imperfect. Things mostly do not turn out to be how we thought. Doodling avoids the limits of perfectionism and prepares us for the imperfect punches of life. You start to see the mistakes and imperfections as an opportunity or lesson to learn and improvisation. Often just a stroke of color or untidy patterns of doodling can be the most expressive form of artwork. Moreover, you will accept the habit of letting go, play again and discover something new next time.
#6. Get Rid Of Monotony
You can never get bored with art and the things related to it. Art will always cheer you up and break the monotony from your life. When you have nothing to pass your time with, invest it in something productive. Every day is full of different and monotonous activities. However, art will always offer you something different and out of the box. You can never make something again and again. If you ever go through the sayings of the greatest artists, they have said that once done is done. You can never create something you created again. Or it may not be as beautiful as it was the first time. We all are an artist in our own little world for ourselves. So explores all the areas of art and see what you can discover every time you dig in. Therefore instead of checking facebook feeds, make your time worthwhile because every single minute of your day counts.
Some people never believe that doodling can actually work for stress relieving and that too so effortlessly. However, these stress tips are extremely useful. It has the capability to calm your nerves down in order to make you feel better about yourself. The process of doodling can actually open your perspective about life in a variety of ways. This kind of meditation does not just relieves your stress but also teaches a lot about humans, world, and life. As they say “see it know it.” Try it if you haven’t already and share your experience with us in the comment section below.
(Featured Image Courtesy: Daily Illustrated)
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