Discover watercolor mindfulness for busy moms. Learn a simple creative exercise to boost calm, focus, and joy in your daily life.
Hey moms! Ever feel like the chaos of daily life leaves you drained and overwhelmed? Trust me, I’ve been there too. Between the endless to-do lists, keeping up with the kids, and trying to find a moment for yourself, it’s easy to feel like you’re running on empty.
That’s why I want to share a simple yet powerful creative exercise that can help you find a little calm and joy in your day: watercolor mindfulness through painting overlapping circles.
Why Watercolor?
Watercolor painting is a beautiful medium for this exercise because it’s accessible, forgiving, and relaxing. You don’t need to be an artist to enjoy it. All you need are some basic supplies and a few minutes to yourself. This exercise not only helps you tap into your creative side but also promotes mindfulness and patience, both of which are great for your mental health.
Why This Exercise is Good for Your Mental Health
- Mindfulness: Waiting for the paint to dry gives you a chance to practice mindfulness, bringing your attention to the present moment and helping to quiet your mind. Mindfulness can reduce anxiety, improve emotional regulation, and increase your overall sense of well-being.
- Patience: This exercise teaches patience, as you have to wait for each layer to dry before moving on. Developing patience can help you manage frustrations and reduce stress in daily life. It’s a valuable skill, especially when dealing with the unpredictability of motherhood.
- Creativity: Engaging in creative activities like this can boost your mood and give you a sense of accomplishment. Creativity is a form of self-expression and can be incredibly therapeutic, providing an outlet for emotions and thoughts.
- Stress Relief: The repetitive motion of painting circles can be soothing and meditative, helping to reduce stress and anxiety. It provides a break from the constant demands of mom life and offers a moment of peace.
- Focus: It encourages you to focus on the task at hand, which can be a welcome break from multitasking and the constant demands of mom life. Improved focus can enhance your productivity and help you manage your time more effectively.
Have fun with this watercolor mindfulness exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried it; I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300grs (Baohong), watercolor extra fine Mineral Marvels (Daniel Smith), brush (da Vinci).
Alternative supply suggestions:
See if you can borrow any paints from your kid(s). No paints? Try it with markers or colored pencils, and instead of waiting for it to dry, set a timer for 5 minutes to do the mindfulness exercise.
Instructions for this watercolor mindfulness exercise:
Step 1 – Start painting circles
Find a quiet corner where you won’t be disturbed for a while. Lay out your supplies and take a few deep breaths to center yourself.
Using your watercolor paints, begin by painting a few circles on your page. Don’t worry about making them perfect—the beauty of watercolor lies in its imperfections.
Step 2 – Practice mindfulness and patience
Here’s where the mindfulness practice comes in. While waiting for the circles to dry, focus on the details around you. Really look at the things you see every day but might not notice – the way the light hits the furniture, the texture of the fabric, the colors in your environment.
This practice of truly seeing can help ground you in the present moment and reduce stress.
Step 3 – Wet-on-Dry technique
Once your circles are dry, paint new circles that slightly overlap the dry ones. This is called the wet-on-dry technique, and it creates a beautiful effect where the new paint interacts with the dry paint in interesting ways.
Step 4 – Repeat and reflect
Allow the new circles to dry, practicing mindfulness as you wait. Notice how the overlapping colors and shapes change and interact.
Continue adding layers of circles, waiting for each layer to dry before adding the next. Keep going until your page feels complete or you’ve had enough.
There’s no rush. The goal here isn’t to create a masterpiece but to enjoy the process. Let go of any perfectionism and allow yourself to simply play with the colors and shapes.
Remember, it’s not about the end product but about taking time for yourself and enjoying the creative process. Give it a try and see how it makes you feel.
And if you’d like to share your creations or have any questions, feel free to comment below.
Let’s embrace creative self-care together and nurture our minds while bringing a little more joy and balance into our lives.
Happy drawing!
You might also like my watercolor patterns exercise if you enjoyed this exercise.
