As the winter skies begin to fade away and spring blossoms color the world, my body itches to feel the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. I don’t know about you, but this quarantine thing is getting old. While I love being able to relax in my pajamas all day, I’ve discovered a couple of very (very) important things throughout the process of social distancing: anxiety feeds on a lack of routine, the absence of fresh air, and the closed doors of confined spaces.
I wish I could say that my brain was able to relax during this stressful time, but I can’t. I find some joy via my extra time to bake, cook, and play video games… but my mind can’t seem to shut out the noise from the pandemic-riddled world.
So what does one do when she can’t leave her apartment, feeling trapped and isolated and like she may never feel the sun on her face again (because on days when she can take walks, it’s raining and gloomy, naturally)?
Well, the answer is that she doodles!
I’ve always loved drawing bright flowers all over my school notebooks, but I’ve never been the most artistically talented person. I can’t sketch things just by sight, and most of my drawings end up looking like they were colored by an over-eager kindergartner (except that I actually know how to stay inside the lines!)
Despite my lack of intrinsic talent, doodling calms my brain even more than journaling. There’s something about sketching a cute animal or a colorful spring scene that puts my mind at ease, and I think it could do the same for yours.
It can be overwhelming to decide what you want to draw, so I often resort to what I want my mental state to look like when I’m done with my artistic moment. Because of this, I tend to lean towards bright, shiny, rainbow scenes. That being said, if you want to sketch your gloom and sadness on the paper, go ahead! There’s really no wrong way to do it, which is why it’s such an accessible tool.
Lately, because of my love of video games, I’ve taken to drawing a different Animal Crossing character every day. Another one of my favorite doodle prompts? Drawing something for my loved ones! I often draw little scenes and cards for my boyfriend, my friends, and my family and then send them off in the mail. This is also a great practice, because it reminds you that you are not alone on your mental health journey while also giving you a chance to make the people you love smile.
I hope that you can utilize doodling as an outlet in this trying time, and I hope that this article can serve as a helpful reminder that you are not alone. Things will get better, and I’ll be right by your side until they do!
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