The Mindfulness of Tangles
Part of pulling back has been rediscovering my love on zentangles. For those of you who don't know, it's sort of structured doodling in a way, but it's more like an art form. I started doing them about five years ago, only dipping my toe in, but of late I've been getting into it in much more detail.The 'zen' part of the name is definitely why I've been doing more of it. It's like a meditation in many ways because of the nature of many of the patterns you create. So it's be a great way to calm my brain down, and I'm creating some lovely pieces in the process. I've been sharing them on my Instagram account, if you aren't following me there yet you can check out the sort of things I share there.
If you followed My Year of TED, you know that meditation is not something I do well. Silent, seated meditation has never really done it for me, I prefer activities that allow me to practice mindfulness. While tangling uses more of your brain than colouring in would, it still allows for the in-the-moment mindset to take hold.
More than me
I started doing this just for me, but as I was creating more and more elaborate designs I decided that I will share them with my subscribers. At the end of July, subscribers will receive four pages that they can download and print for personal use - they have the key words in them of wisdom, compassion, courage and authenticity. You can colour them in, or use them as they are. I'm almost finished the first three, but promising the end of July gives me a chance to complete them all, scan them in and get them uploaded for you. And yes, if you aren't a subscriber you might want to sign up now - there are a range of other free resources for you too.On top of that, work has calmed down to the point that I have time to do some of these things for myself, which is a lovely change. Yes, part of my brain keeps reminding me that I should be properly launching Write to Launch, but I'm focusing on being a little kinder to myself this month. After all, it is my birthday month, so I should be a little kinder to myself - I turn 44 in a week!Do any of you zentangle? I'd love you to share your designs if you do.