Need a Break - Start Doodling

It's easy to feel stuck. Being human means there are bad days — days where the emotions pile on so fast that just naming them, let alone processing them, feels overwhelming. Finding a way out can be even harder than getting into them.

But some tools make it a little easier to feel better and be in a more mindful place. One of them is doodling.

We did it as kids. Somewhere along the way, though, we were told it was rude, a distraction, or unproductive. It's actually the opposite. Mindful doodling is used by millions of people — in the classroom, at the workplace, absentmindedly on a napkin during a phone call. It engages your hands, your eyes, and your mind all at once, in a way that just talking or thinking often can't. It captures thoughts and emotions without needing to explain them. And unlike traditional visual art, it's not intimidating — there are no rules. At its core, it's just play.

So please, doodle!

A few tips:

• Don't overthink it. 

  • This one is so much easier said than done, but it has to be said anyway: don't go in with a design, don't take too long to get started, and don't stop halfway through because it's not turning out how you pictured. This isn't about being perfect, or pretty, or aesthetically pleasing in any way. This is you giving yourself permission to not care about anything for 10 minutes and color. There's no end result you're aiming for — this is just you having fun.

• Choose art supplies you already have around the house. 

  • This is a great project because it doesn't need to cost a thing. I use mixed-media paper and watercolor paper because it holds up to different pens, but notebook paper or printer paper works just as well — whatever's lying around. No pens or colored pencils? Grab a pack of Crayola from your local store. Nothing fancy, just something that gets the job done. A pen or pencil alone is plenty. At the end of the day, this is about moving your hands and letting your mind wander and relax, not about the tools.

• Not sure where to start?

  • Try overlapping lines, then fill them in with color. Draw a few loose, crossing lines across the page — they don't need to mean anything. Then go back in and color each little section they create. It's an easy way to get moving without needing an idea first.

• Set a timer for 10 minutes. 

  • Stick with it, even if it's just 10 minutes. That's typically the minimum amount of time it takes to enter a flow state, so give it a real shot — no phone, no multitasking, just your undivided attention for that window. Go longer if you're in it, but even 10 minutes is enough to let your brain relax.

• If it helps, pick a theme.

  • One color, your favorite song, what you see around you right now. There are endless doodle themes out there, so if a blank page feels like too much freedom, a small constraint can actually make it easier to start.

• Pro level:

  • Get a mixed media notebook. If you've done this before and liked it, or you know it's something you want to keep doing, a mixed media notebook is great to carry around and fill with thoughts, ideas, and doodles — a place to find inspiration and figure out what you're drawn to. I use mine for random designs I want to try, or quick line drawings just to relax.

Here's an easy way I've found to make doodling easier to start. I'm a perfectionist and find it very difficult to not have an agenda when making something. Or I have an idea, get started, only for it not to work out how I thought and instead of trusting the process, I abandon the whole thing.

I created a grid using wasabi tape to give myself a little bit more direction. BUT I did them a little uneven so I needed to accept imperfection straight away. Then I made a bunch of loops and blobs across the page, directionless and random.

Before I sat down to doodle, I went on a walk. I saw shades of green, layers of leaves and moss, and the textures they created. I wanted to use those as inspiration, so grabbed every marker, pastel, and colored pencil I had that were all different shades of green. I filled in random blobs. Didn't matter where, just what felt right.

After filling in whichever blobs felt right, I removed my grid, cleaned things up, and there you go! Not fancy, but took 15 minutes and was a perfect way to unwind after my walk.