Let’s talk about doodling! Whether you are stressed, love drawing, need mental breaks, or need a better flow of ideas, doodling unlocks many personal benefits for you.
Stress Management
As someone who has struggled with anxiety most of my life, looking for ways that could reduce my nervous feelings about work or personal life has always been a goal of mine. When I felt my mind overwhelmed with multiple thoughts jumping in and out of my head, I would find myself grabbing a pen or pencil to make random drawings on a piece of paper. Often there was no direction or particular shape, object, or person that I wanted to draw. The beauty of doodling like this is that you allow yourself to let your mind create whatever would be good to release onto your paper.
Drawing Time
I have come to realize that as one gets older, there are fewer opportunities to draw unless we consciously make the time to do so. We have a multitude of responsibilities daily, and this common activity of our childhood fades as time goes on. Making time to draw not only creates personal self-care time, it reminds you of your younger self. This was a time when imagination, creativity, and exploration ruled our lives. To gain a piece of this back consider taking some part of your day to draw for fun. You just never know what will appear on the page!
Mental Breaks
Providing mental breaks for yourself during your workday can make your job more productive and feel less heavy by the end of the day. I know that some people like to browse shopping websites, watch YouTube videos, stretch, work out, read books, etc. The list goes on and on. How about adding a doodling break to your day? Just like people have diaries or journals to write in every day, perhaps keeping a doodling book close to your workspace would be an ideal way to maintain your mind’s creativity and flexibility daily. I always like to flip back to my previous doodles to see what I created and which doodles I tend to draw more often.
Let your ideas flow!
Once you allow some time to doodle, more ideas for your work or personal life begin to reveal themselves. It’s like you’ve unlocked a special creativity box within your soul that you constantly look into for more advice, ideas, and support. It reminds me a lot of the same feeling I would feel when I was consistent with my meditation practice. Each time I allowed myself to be open to the possibilities or discoveries during my special doodling sessions, the more I would gain insight and understanding of myself. This doodle practice brings about ideas and helps you analyze your growth. All of which leads to your success.
Give it a try!
I encourage you to try doodling with consistency to see how this helps improve your personal and work success. Check out my Doodle & Plan Daily and Lesson Planners here and Doodle & Dream Student Success Activity Book for educators, parents, and students to enjoy daily!
Check out my YouTube video Doodle Your Way to Success: Doodling for Personal Growth where I give a general overview of this topic along with some useful reminders and extras.
