HOW DOODLING CAN RELIEVE STRESS

THIS ARTICLE WILL INVESTIGATE STRESS AND ITS EFFECTS, WHILST ALSO LOOKING INTO THE WAYS THAT SIMPLY TAKING SOME TIME AND DOODLING CAN HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT STRESS WITHOUT SPENDING LARGE SUMS OF MONEY.

STRESS MONTH:

For most people, the month that causes the most stress is January (Borchard, 2020). This can be due to any number of factors from bills to recovering from Christmas dinner. Many will find themselves thrown into a busy life as companies begin various sales. Some businesses may be struggling to bring in as many customers, the list could go on.

Yet, as medicine moves forward, we are beginning to understand the true need to alleviate stress. Stress can cause health problems, causing you to lose focus and even withdraw from daily life if kept untamed (Heckman, 2020).

So, if stress is such a big issue, why isn’t it talked about? Well, they do. To counteract an entire month of stress, April is known as stress awareness month (Heckman, 2020). Reminding us to look after ourselves and keep our stress manageable. This can seem a daunting task if you're inundated with office reports, meetings and making sure the house is tidy for visitors, so let’s dive into the simplest way to relieve stress.

COPING WITH STRESS:

There is a whole host of things you can do to relieve stress. You can leave that annoying chore that’s at the end of a long list, but this just delays the stress. You could have a clean-up of the house, but to some, re-organising a room can feel just as stressful (Borchard, 2020).

The main point of those suggestions is distracting your mind. Allowing your brain to focus on a task that requires its attention but does not overload it. This can take many forms, from a group activity to some good alone time with that box set you’ve been meaning to finish on Netflix. 

Yet, the best way to light up your brain and relieve stress is too allow your imagination free reign and get creative, its time to pick up a pencil or a pen and then grab some paper and ask yourself…

WHY DOODLE?:

Doodling is something we have all done at some point in our lives, as youngsters we would have created worlds of imaginary creatures and people, drawing the friends we made along the way in our own miniature version of a major motion picture.

But there is a direct link between doodling and the processes in the mind. One case of a 2009 study conducted by psychologist Jackie Andrade features a group of 40 people being asked to listen to a short phone call. Half of the group were asked to doodle, whilst the others simply listened (Srini Pillay, 2020).

The half of the group that doodled was found to remember 29% more information from the phone than the group that did not doodle (Srini Pillay, 2020). Whilst its not fully understood what processes take place for this to happen the obvious conclusion is, doodling relaxes the mind, as well as keeping it active and subconsciously engaged (The benefits of doodling, 2020).

You could be reading this thinking; this doesn’t apply to me. Well there is evidence that shows creativity is linked to almost everything we do, in a sense it is the base of problem solving (Rex Jung — Creativity and the Everyday Brain, 2020). 

So now we know that doodling relaxes the brain, leaving it open to new information that is more likely to be retained (Srini Pillay, 2020). We also know that not being a creative doesn’t mean you can’t doodle. This shows us a clear reason to doodle, its an act of self-care that will help you in multiple ways (How Art Therapy Can Help You Relieve Stress, 2020).

Doodling can also be tailored to the individual, doing it alone or with friends and family. So, what are you waiting for, take your mind off things, make a cup of tea, and draw a quick doodle of your tv, a dragon, or one of the ideas below.

Patterns/Doodles to Try:

If the idea of a more complex doodle isn’t your cup of tea, there is nothing stopping you from quickly doodling some waves, or even a page full of bubbles (De-Stress, 2020).

The simplicity of Triangles, tiny leaf shapes, spirals, overlapping horizontal and vertical lines or even simply dotting a page can have some calming effects, again, its not about what you doodle, its simply about taking your mind off of things that may be stressing you out (De-Stress, 2020).

CONCLUSIONS:

As we have seen doodling can be helpful when trying to relieve stress. So, take a moment, sit back and just take a breather on a blank piece of paper and see what happens, remember its not about being creative, it's about easing your mind and allowing it to relax. You’ll gain focus, retain more information and who knows you may come up with that bright idea that’s been eluding you.

Bibliography:

• Srini Pillay, M., 2020. The “Thinking” Benefits Of Doodling - Harvard Health Blog. [online] Harvard Health Blog. Available at: <https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-thinking-benefits-of-doodling-2016121510844#:~:text=Doodling%20for%20stress%20relief%20and%20improved%20focus&text=With%20this%20greater%20sense%20of,more%20relaxed%20and%20concentrate%20more.> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
• De-Stress, A., 2020. Art Journaling For Healing: Doodle And De-Stress | Mindful Art Studio. [online] Mindfulartstudio.com. Available at: <https://mindfulartstudio.com/art-journaling-for-healing-doodle-and-de-stress/> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
• Verywell Mind. 2020. How Art Therapy Can Help You Relieve Stress. [online] Available at: <https://www.verywellmind.com/art-therapy-relieve-stress-by-being-creative-3144581> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
• Vox. 2020. The Benefits Of Doodling. [online] Available at: <https://www.vox.com/ad/16772236/the-benefits-of-doodling> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
• Heckman, W., 2020. Stress Awareness Month – April 2020 - The American Institute Of Stress. [online] The American Institute of Stress. Available at: <https://www.stress.org/stress-awareness-month-april-2020> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
• Borchard, T., 2020. Surviving January — The Most Depressing Month Of The Year. [online] World of Psychology. Available at: <https://psychcentral.com/blog/surviving-january-the-most-depressing-month-of-the-year/#:~:text=January%2024%20is%20on%20record,depressing%20day%20of%20the%20year.> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
• The On Being Project. 2020. Rex Jung — Creativity And The Everyday Brain. [online] Available at: <https://onbeing.org/programs/rex-jung-creativity-and-the-everyday-brain/> [Accessed 10 November 2020].