The wife, a bubbly, cheerful person has been through an awful time over the past year, suffering a family bereavement, an accident causing broken bones and then the shock of a cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery.
She was still determined to visit again this year as they both love the atmosphere of TT and the island in general.
She showed me her mindfulness colouring book, something I had never heard of before now. It is full of pages of intricate designs, a little like the old painting by numbers sets but without the numbers. There are also pages of word and number quizzes. It is designed to absorb the concentration and take one's mind off problems and worries.
During quiet periods, she says she will sit happily with her set of double-ended coloured pens and work on the pages, creating beautifully coloured images. It helps her to feel calm and relaxed.
Perhaps I should try it.
We gave my sister-in-law one of these one Christmas (with pencils!). She loves them. She spends a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms waiting for treatments or appointments, and says they take her mind off worrying while she waits.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a good idea. Simple yet effective.
DeleteThe Csikszentmihalyian sense of flow: the buzz of your own thoughts, total immersion in the task at hand, suspended in time so that nothing else seems to matter. But you can get it doing more useful or creative things (like blogging).
ReplyDeleteI am too impatient for most creative pursuits and I haven't yet perfected my blogging skills 😏
DeleteAnything to help you to relax and get things in proportion gets my vote. Since living alone after
ReplyDeletemy husband's death two years ago I do find that it is easy to get neurotic about the smallest things.
I shall buy one of these books - my newsagent has them. It might be the answer.
I hope you finf it helpful. I shall also give it a try.
DeleteMy therapist had me doing some coloring after my stroke for hand-eye coordination. I had been drawing and painting all my life, and was an art teacher, but all of a sudden couldn't color inside the lines. it helped a great deal. Once things got better, I found it more relaxing to sketch or draw from my own imagination, but I can certainly see how it would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been so frustrating at the time, given your previous artistic ability. I am pleased to hear that nthings have improved and you are able to enjoy sketching and drawing again.
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