What is a doodle?
A sketch, scribble or drawing that is created whilst thinking about/listening to something else. Doodling can also help you to be in the present moment, allowing yourself to flow with creativity and accessing the unconscious mind and the healing wisdom that lies within, helping your body to rest and recover, helping your mind to regroup.
Benefits of doodling
Improves memory – doodling whilst doing something, e.g. in a lecture, listening to podcast etc. will help you to remember more information
Reduces strain on the brain
Reduces boredom so your mind won’t wander off
Stress relief – doodling helps to fill in the gaps in your memories of highly stressful incidents, therefore allowing you to make these memories whole, bring them to the present and ultimately heal from them. Doodles can reveal what is occurring in the subconscious mind.
Doodling can help you to focus more by allowing your brain to take a break. By quieting the left side of the brain you can activate neural pathways on the right side, which is the creative side of the brain..
Mindfulness – keeps you in the present moment allowing you to be in a state of meditation
Here is a great way to give yourself the time and space for mindful doodling:
Getting started – let go of the need to control the outcome, the expectation that it should look a certain way and the need for it to be “perfect”. Remember perfection is not real, especially when doodling!
Find a comfortable seat, and set yourself a time limit of about 15 minutes or for as long as you can. Begin by taking a few deep, relaxing breaths, and connect with your body.
Quickly, draw a continuous line, joining the end and the beginning, without lifting your pen/pencil. Let your pen wander, do not try to control the resulting shape/scribble
How did it feel to give up control?
Did it elevate your anxiety, pain or other symptoms?
Make a note of this in your journal
Now fill in the shape! Draw lines, dots, more squiggles, whatever your mind comes up with – it is all okay! Use colour if you feel like it. If your mind wanders, take a few deep breaths to bring you back to the present moment
Take a moment to check in with yourself
How are you feeling in your mind and body?
Are the symptoms you felt before still there?
Are you being distracted by many thoughts
Are you worried/trying to control the doodle?
Answer these questions in your journal by taking a few deep breaths and connect with your body again.
At the end of the time you have set yourself, STOP!
Look at what you have created, without judgement, do not criticise your doodle (or yourself)
Look at it from different angles, which way do you like it best?
Look at the separate parts/sections of the doodle, say one thing you like about each bit and then one thing you like about it as a whole!