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Burnout Buster: The Coloring Oasis

10/6/2015

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"According to clinical psychologist Ben Michaelis, coloring is a stress-free activity that relaxes the amygdala — the fear center of the brain — and allows your mind to get the rest it needs." ~Kristian Wilson
For years, my husband Ron taught alternative education in a continuation high school. Many of these kids lived more traumatic, chaotic, and unstable lives than most of us can imagine. On days when they seemed particularly agitated, he would pull out the art supplies and coloring books and let them color for awhile. 

It was the quietest and calmest they ever were. Doodling and coloring created an oasis for their minds and bodies. And then they could focus on the work at hand. They could respond to the challenges of the moment with greater calm, empathy, and creativity
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I hope and trust that your life has more stability than my husband's students, dear friend.

Nevertheless, in a life that demands 110% of your energy and attention, I have a hunch that you, too, need an oasis to calm your mind. To come home to your center. To open to your wiser, more creative self.

Ready to reduce stress? Grab your crayons

Psychologists are finding that coloring is an effective way to reduce stress.

Coloring is an activity that engages different hemispheres of the brain, and relaxes the amygdala - the part of the brain that regulates emotions affected by fear and stress. And it helps move us into a freer and more creative state.

That's why therapists have been prescribing it to their clients since the days of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Read more about the many benefits of coloring here.

When my mind is agitated and I can't see my next step, or my monkey mind is too busy swinging from vine to vine to meditate, I reach for my markers and colored pencils. And it calms me right down. And it opens up my creative wisdom. 

Sometimes I write a meditative phrase, and I doodle and color around it:
And sometimes, I just draw a doodle line and color it:
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I even do tiny 2-inch doodles in the notes section of my planner, just to kick off my day with creative calm.
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Try This: Take a 5-minute coloring break

1. Give yourself 5 minutes and just color. No need for perfection. No great expectations. Just follow your instincts for what color to choose next. No judging allowed!
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You can draw your own doodle line--just place your pen on the page and let it go into curves and loops without ever lifting it from the page. Then grab your crayons or colored pencils (office highlighters will work in a pinch!) and color away.

Or, if you want to just start coloring right away, here's a simple one to get you started.

Just click on the "Doodle Oasis" file below and print it out. 
doodleoasis.pdf
File Size: 18 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

2. Notice the physical sensations you feel as you color. What does your head feel like? What does your chest feel like? This is what calming your brain feels like.

3. Notice if anything has shifted--your energy, your mood, your perspective. Does anything look different? Welcome any ideas that come up. But if not, don't worry. Just giving yourself 5 minutes of stress-reducing calm has just done your mind and body a world of good. 
Ready for more? There are some great coloring books for adults out there. Walk into any bookstore or art supply, and you're likely to see a few. And a quick search online will bring up a plethora of options for stress-relieving designs. 

Do you have a favorite coloring book? Let us know in the comments below!
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Waiting to Exhale

11/5/2013

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Meditative doodle by moi, Katie Bagby
Movement and stillness. The in breath and the out breath. The most natural of rhythms. 

And yet...when was the last time you were truly still? 

When was the last time you exhaled?

Maybe you've been running around inhaling all of the time. Holding onto your breath and trying to inhale just a little bit more. Doing just one more thing. Taking on just one more project. Saying yes to just one more friend. Saying you'll help with just one more good cause. All good things. Really. And yet... 

I don't remember who said it, but I've always liked this quote: "I don't care if you always inhale or always exhale, either way you're dead." 

When was the last time you allowed yourself a big old exhale?

The exhale. It releases toxins. It relaxes the body. It calms the mind. It stabilizes your core muscles (and the core of your life). It allows you to let go. It makes room for a big, nourishing, effortless inhale. It makes room for what wants to happen next.

Today, I'm pausing to exhale. And you know what I'm noticing? The inhale naturally follows. Creative energy starts to bubble up. A joyful desire to move is wending it's way through my body (Helloooo, brisk walk! I'm on my way!). 

I love this quote from my teacher Martha Beck in an interview at Oprah.com about the quickest legal route to joy: "Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you feel like resting, period. Never do anything else." 

And for Martha (and me and you!), the idea is that you love what you're doing so much, that it all feels like play.

Inhale and exhale. Play and rest. Movement and stillness. Each nourishes the other. Each is essential to authentic, full-bodied living. Plus, it's sooo much better than being dead.

Stop waiting to exhale, dear one. Now is a perfect moment. The next inhale will come on its own. Promise.

Let me know how it goes in the comments below!

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