This week, I made a conscious decision to adopt a healthy hobby to work on after school. One thing that I have always loved to do but never have the time to focus on anymore is painting. Whether the paintings turn out good or not so good, it’s always fun to put your focus on just one thing rather than the millions of things we have to think about throughout our week.
What I hoped to accomplish was five fabulous paintings of my own creation. Instead, I got the opposite of what I expected. I felt old and stuck in this adult reality that our parents had warned us about—how all of the fun things we did when we were younger, we wouldn’t have time for when we were older. It upsets me that there seems to be a life restraint on enjoying what you love.
Honestly, throughout this week, I found myself getting depressed at the thought of becoming like my older family members, who now enjoy their 9–5 and are no longer doing what they love to do (even though it’s what they need to do). Here are some things I noticed throughout my journey this week.
Looking at the Positives of NOT Having Time to Paint
When I found myself trying to paint, many things kept getting in the way so I couldn’t succeed. It would get to the point where I would sit myself down and make myself paint, which I felt was creating the opposite effect of why I even got back into it. Some days I have two classes, or even up to four classes a day. That already drains me from any creativity I have that I might want to explore through painting. My major is also another art form, so every day I am being creative and exploring constantly. Looking at the positive parts of your day and what you’re currently doing successfully is a great way that I was able to get through these negative thoughts of not finishing my paintings.
Taking the Free Time to Just Breathe
When we’re frustrated or feeling a certain kind of way, we often forget to breathe. Sometimes, we don’t even notice that we aren’t breathing in the first place. We get so anxious and forget about the simple key things we need in our daily life, like breathing. When I would get home, instead of immediately stressing about what I was gonna paint or how I was gonna feel if I didn’t do it, I would instead just sit down first and breathe. It would allow me to reflect on all I did that day, hydrate and feed myself. In the end, I found this was just as therapeutic as painting can be. Sometimes we need more of something that we often forget about.
After this week, the best part was getting to Friday. Maybe somehow this weekend I’ll find a way to paint, but maybe I won’t because I also need to clean my apartment and do all my homework. But, either way, I will remember to be productive and breathe!