Stop overthinking and boost your mental health with a simple painting exercise. Learn how colors and shapes can lower stress and increase joy.
It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of responsibilities and endless to-do lists, isn’t it? Sometimes, we overthink so much that we forget to pause and take a moment for ourselves.
Today, we’re diving into a straightforward painting exercise designed to pull you out of that spiral of overthinking. It’s not just a creative outlet; it’s a mental health boost wrapped in colors and shapes. So, let’s grab our art supplies and dive in!
Please let me know if you’ve tried this one; I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Health benefits
- Break the Overthinking Cycle: The repetitive motion and focus required in this exercise act like a circuit breaker for overthinking.
- Mindfulness: The repetitive motion of painting the ovals can be meditative, helping you focus on the moment and take a break from your to-do list.
- Stress Relief: Engaging in creative activities like painting has been shown to lower stress hormones, providing a natural mood boost.
- Overcome Perfectionism: This exercise is all about letting go and enjoying the process, which can help you work through any tendencies toward perfectionism.
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300 grams (Arches), watercolor (Winsor & Newton), paint brush (Da Vinci), fineliner 0.3 (Ohuhu), brush pen (pentel), paper towel, and washi tape.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can use your kids’ watercolor paints or other paint.
Don’t have any of those? You can also try it with markers, crayons, or colored pencils.
Step 1: Create horizontal lines
Before you start, take a deep breath. Let go of any thoughts that have been troubling you.
Take your paintbrush and pick a color. Paint a few horizontal lines across your paper. Make sure to leave some white space between each line. No overthinking allowed—just let your brush flow.
Step 2: Fill in the gaps
Choose a couple more colors that bring you joy. Fill the white spaces with squares or rectangles, alternating the colors as you go.
Step 3: Add textures
Here’s where it gets even more fun! Fill each of your squares or rectangles with small ovals. Don’t worry about making them perfect; this exercise is all about the process.
Step 4: Add contrast with black
Now, grab your black marker. In one square, fill the background with black, leaving the ovals in their original color. In the adjacent square, color in just the ovals with black. Continue this pattern until all your squares are filled in.
There’s no need to overthink your journey to better mental health. A simple painting exercise can be an incredibly effective way to pause, reset, and recharge. I hope you’ll give this creative exercise a try and experience the mental health benefits for yourself.
Until next time, take care and keep those creative juices flowing!
If you liked this exercise, you might also like my Mark making exercise.