How can returning to forgotten childhood hobbies help relieve stress?

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In our day to day, busy lives, how often do we find ourselves stopping and taking a moment to take it all in and be mindful?

I’m guessing, not often. Of course some people will be already on the path to mindfulness, however even I often get caught up in the hustle and bustle.

Many people develop ‘tunnel vision’, what I mean by that is that we stop paying attention to the present moment, and instead live our lives focused on how we felt yesterday or what we are going to do tomorrow.

Unlike meditation, where the aim is to ‘zone out’ and let your thoughts pass non-judgementally, mindfulness is a little easier. Officially defined as “Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally”, mindfulness is simply ‘zoning in’.

In the office, we’ve re-discovered a hobby which we’ve all long forgotten, yet it’s helped us focus and get caught up in the present moment.

What am I talking about? Colouring-in books!

There has been a massive buzz around Mindfulness Colouring Books, in fact all adult colouring-in books! So, we gave them a go and they work!

‘This gentle activity where you choose the colours to create your picture and the repetitive action of colouring it in focuses the brain on the present, blocking out any intrusive thoughts.’

We love them so much that our Project Management Wizard spent much of her Christmas holidays colouring in (plus her pictures are lovely!)

Here’s a quick recap of the benefits of being mindful:

benefits-of-being-mindful-2

One of our project management team commented on the mindfulness book as “really calming, it was surprising how relaxing it was, I now look forward to the times when I can draw”. This comment reflects the calming environment that wondered the office as we all took to colouring in our books during our lunch breaks.

It is so important to take time out from the ‘always on’ culture of modern society and live in the moment, with no interruptions.

If you would like more information, please contact me on info@138.68.155.184 or call 0203 142 8650.

Have a lovely day!