Drawing can be a way to come back to the present moment, and calm down. Here are a few ways to do this.

 

  1. Grab a few blue markers, turn a piece of paper to landscape, and fill it with slow, ribbon-like, horizontal lines. Here’s a link to a 2 minute video where I demonstrate this! Drawing slowly is meditative, and horizontal lines are calming.

 

In this video I’m using a blue Charters marker and a light blue Neuland “Big One” marker.

I recommend using any marker in cool colors: blues, greys, bluish-greens ––they’re more calming, they recede.

 

  1. Make a drawing, or collage notes onto a photo to create a “reminder image”. I made this drawing for myself earlier this week; you might have seen it on my Instagram feed. I wanted to remember the calming  tools I’ve learned in yoga class. Since there’s an image and icons, spatially arranged, I can keep a snapshot of this drawing in my mind’s eye, and refer to it when I start feeling stressed.

 

  1. Make your own Zentangle-style doodle, and then color it in. I’ve attached three here, with varying degrees of detail. Or, make your own! All you need is a black permanent marker and a few colored markers. And, if you want to do things in the official Zentangle way, there’s lots more info here.

 

Hoping that you and your family stay safe and healthy, and creative.