Mindfulness Through Colouring | Coping with Anxiety #1
Today's post is, I hope the first of many sharing tips I use to relieve anxiety. Earlier this year I was told I showed signs of severe anxiety and moderate depression most probably a reaction to struggling to come to terms with being diagnosed with a chronic neuropathy condition in my right foot and now CRPS (read my recent post on CRPS Awareness Month). A condition that came out of the blue, and then my brain's inability to process it.
I recently attended cognitive behavioural therapy sessions with a therapist specialising in long-term health conditions for around 9 weeks to explore the causes and give me the tools to cope. Alongside the advice and tools I the therapist suggested, I was encouraged to find my own ways I felt comfortable with too. Due to suffering constantly with the pain I had stopped most of the enjoyable things in life because I struggled to concentrate on anything, so in the end just stopped those things. This meant I no longer expressed creativity at all, my concentration was now so awful.
I am now in less pain due to privately undergoing cryosurgery (freezing the nerve with liquid nitrogen) which was my last ditch hope after NHS Orthopaedics giving up on me and given a referral to the pain management clinic (not an ideal solution for a young woman in her 20s unable to live a normal life due to the debilitating pain daily). Now with the pain being less severe and being less on edge, I decided to focus on learning to relax and give myself down time.
A close friend of mine mentioned colouring books could help, when shopping I found a Mindfulness colouring book titled 'The Little Book of Colouring for Mindfulness' by Cynthia Emerlye for only £3.99 (RRP £6.99).
Exploring mindfulness had been mentioned by my therapist a few weeks back. I decide to give this a go, covering both mindfulness and creativity in one go.
Mandalas
The book features different mandala designs, the aim of the designs to de-stress. Mandalas are considered historically symbolic with the circular designs with meanings of wholeness, oneness and eternity. Mandalas are a spiritual and ritual symbol used in eastern religions.Getting Started
The idea is to follow the design and not plan what part to colour, just to go with the colour that appears in your head and to go with the flow, always following the circular design. The designs inspired by nature with both flora and fauna.I find this is extremely relaxing to a point if I ever start to lose focus on the mandala, that is a sign to pause. I try not to stress that it is unfinished and came back to it later when I want to. Never worry too much about colour choices, just go with the colour that comes to mind. Painted leaves blue? Don't worry about it. :)
I will be honest it took a while to relax while doing this and my therapist taught me perseverance is key to helping myself regain control of my life from the chronic pain.
The mandala below took about four 10 minute sessions to complete. It usually takes me only two 15 minute sessions, but as I say go with the flow. ;-)
Do you also enjoy colouring to relax?
What other techniques do you use to relax? I'd really be interested to know.
Thanks Bekki.
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