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Another little reminder for Mental Health Awarenes

Another little reminder for Mental Health Awareness Month.

I think a lot of us have forgotten what it feels like to 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥, 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 “𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝” 𝐚𝐭.

Somewhere along the way, everything started needing a purpose.

That’s one of the things I love most about mindful art. There’s no pressure to make something impressive (though it may turn out pretty cool) or an expectation to be productive.

Sometimes it’s just lines on paper, a quiet moment, and letting your mind wander for a little while. That feels very different from creating while trying to prove something. And it's definitely more relaxing.

Maybe that’s your reminder to do something just because you enjoy it.

#zentangle #transformationalcoaching #mindfulart #loudouncounty

Today's little reminder for Mental Health Awarenes

Today's little reminder for Mental Health Awareness Month:

Sometimes the signs that we need a pause are pretty obvious, and sometimes they sneak in quietly.

I know I need a break when I start feeling impatient over little things or lose focus faster. Or I walk into a room and forget why I’m there (I stopped counting how often that happens 🫣).

It's when everything feels a bit louder and more irritating than usual. Or I just feel “off” for no clear reason.

I have a feeling a lot of us know what that feels like.

We get so used to pushing through and handling things that we don’t always notice when our mind is asking for a break.

I’m learning to pay attention to those moments a little sooner now to take the edge off before everything starts piling up.

#mindfulness #selfcare #worklifebalance

Another little reminder for Mental Health Awarenes

Another little reminder for Mental Health Awareness Month: 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 “𝐨𝐧” 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

I think a lot of us have gotten so used to constantly thinking, planning, remembering, and managing things that we don’t even notice how mentally tired we are anymore.

Sometimes I catch myself jumping from one thing to the next without ever fully landing anywhere. I have way too many squirrel moments! 😅

That’s usually my sign to pause for a few minutes to breathe, step outside, pet a cat (or three 😻😻😻), or any of the other things I mentioned yesterday.

#transformationalcoaching #mindfulness #selfcare

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end,

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end, but the awareness really shouldn’t end with the calendar.

So this week, I want to finish the month with a few simple daily reminders. Small things that help me and might help you, too.

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟓–𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐭.

It’s kind of amazing how much can shift in only a few quiet minutes.

- a cup of coffee or tea while it’s still hot (that first sip feeling ☕️)
- sitting outside with your eyes closed and taking in all the sounds around you
- a few lines on paper (aka a brain dump)
- looking up at the sky (remember seeing shapes in the clouds as a child? It’s still fun! ☁️)
- listening to ambient sounds (we’ve had plenty of rain lately, with more to come)
- taking a short walk
- stretching for a few minutes (or if you love yoga, try child’s pose or legs-up-the-wall 🧘🏻‍♀️)
- or of course, a bubble bath 🛀

Tiny pauses throughout the day really can change the whole feeling of the day.

#transformationalcoaching #mindfulmoments #metime

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 I saw a tutorial the other day abo

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲

I saw a tutorial the other day about using leaves to paint a butterfly. Looked easy enough. 😅

So during my walk yesterday morning, I picked up a few leaves, came home inspired, and went to work. You may have seen the “in progress” disaster I posted yesterday, along with the paper towel (and my hands) that looked like it had been through a color hurricane. 🌀

At first, I was disappointed. It looked nothing like the tutorial. I was about two seconds away from throwing the whole thing out.

Then I had to laugh at myself, because the whole reason I fell in love with 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭 in the first place is that I don’t want the pressure to make things look a certain way.

I don’t enjoy creating from a place of perfectionism anymore. I enjoy sitting down without a plan, following what feels interesting, and seeing where it goes. That’s where the mindfulness happens for me.

So after taking a few deep breaths and getting over myself, I stopped asking, “Why doesn’t this look better?” and started asking, “Why do I care so much?” Nobody else cares if my leaf butterfly looks like the tutorial. That pressure came entirely from me.

I grabbed my pen and kept going. The paper looked unfinished, so I started adding Zentangle patterns around the butterfly. That felt too bland, so I added some color and gold splatter because apparently, chaos was the direction we were taking.

The gold paint was way too thick, so splatters turned into blobs. The pen I used for the antennas apparently wasn't waterproof. Oh well...

I still don’t particularly like the final piece. It’s messy. A little overworked. Definitely imperfect.

Do I care? Nope.

Because the biggest thing that changed between yesterday morning and now wasn’t the artwork. It was me.

A few years ago, I probably would’ve judged myself the entire time I was making this. Now I can actually enjoy the process, laugh at the mistakes, and let things be imperfect without turning it into a personal crisis.

That’s what mindful art has given me, and it feels a lot more valuable than a “perfect” butterfly.

#transformationalcoaching #giveyourselfgrace

I'm leaving this here for today while I take a few

I'm leaving this here for today while I take a few deep breaths and get over myself. 😅

Let's just say, my hands currently look exactly like that paper towel.

I'm going to turn this into tomorrow’s Mindful Monday post, so check back to see what this is all about.

#mindfulness #transformationalcoaching #mindfulart #justbreathe

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