This week's introduction belongs to our very own chalk artist, Zeina. She is the newest addition to the Joyful Bath Co Team and we are glad to have her. Read what she has to say about getting relaxed in the chaotic world that we currently live in.
A Way to Escape
Many of us are so caught up in the daily stress of our lives that we forget to slow down. Relax, and take some time to connect with your mind, body, and soul. There are many ways that we can relax. My favorite way is through painting. It’s quite personal to me. Painting is a proven and effective way to reduce stress and send one to an imaginary world where nothing else matters.
“Switch-off !”
Sometimes all we are looking for is an escape or a way to switch-off after a long stressful day. It might be from working all day long and into the night trying to get things done or it might just be a bad day that stayed on your mind. It happens all the time!
There are no rules or much thoughts behind creating my type of art. It’s my way to escape long stressful days. I choose to paint especially during school time. I like to fit an art class into my main schedule so I can have some me-time. I pick art class to be the final class I had that day, this way I can FREE-up from all the stress I carry from doing school work all day. I get to enjoy something I really like doing and have some peaceful time where I can escape to my imaginary place.
“Finding peace in chaos”
I found that when I engage in painting, my brain stops thinking of my daily problems and negative thoughts. Instead, I focus on the task at hand. It helps me get into a flow state. The “flow state” occurs when I get deeply focused on a task, like painting, that I can do for an extended amount of time, and I forget about the rest of the world. It’s like finding peace in chaos.
“Sketchbooks for stress relief”
Keeping a sketchbook is one of the easiest ways to relieve stress. I keep one next to my bed and draw whatever comes to mind. I use mine as a dream journal. I started one this month to help me identify patterns in my dreams that I then sketch out. This process points out areas in my life that need extra attention that might lead to stress. I’ll draw every day when I wake up in the morning like images, symbols or words. DON’T worry if you’re not good at drawing. Your dream journal is for your eyes ONLY.
Next time you need to switch-off, go find your pens, brushes and sketchbooks to help you find peace within the chaos of your day. Start a dream journal and begin to see the areas of your life that might need some extra attention. Get into the flow-state and escape to your imaginary world where nothing else matters except this moment.