Keeping Sane?

This month has been crazy with preparations for state visits at our school.  It has been quite stressful, actually.  My usual methods of keeping sane haven't been working.  I have resorted to fixating on one thing each day that makes me happy.  Lately, it has been spending time in our garden at school and discovering the new growth. One of the Aides, who works with a special needs student, has been talking to me about the Zentangle books. 

 It has made me think about how stressed out I used to be about 4 or 5 years ago and how my randomness series of lines, dots, and swirls allowed me a way to escape. I kind of missed the feeling of numbness that doodling creates.  The rhythm of the pen moving on the paper creates a calm and peaceful trance where the mind allows itself to become quiet.  All of your problems and stress seem to disappear.  Last Wednesday, the stress seemed to escalate, so I decided to begin doodling.  I added Stargazer to the drawing. 

The more I added to the drawing, the more controlled and detailed it became.  After an hour, I looked at it and realized I must have been more stressed than I thought.  

I only draw in such small details when I am extremely stressed.  The drawing is not complete, but since it is my therapy piece, I guess it doesn't matter.

I'm not entirely sure how much this drawing has helped with my stress.  I think it has helped a bit, but it hasn't given me what it once has done in the past. 

Nap time

Sometimes you just want to lie down, close your eyes, and feel yourself sink into the ground. To feel the sensation of every single muscle in your body relax and give in to your body's need for rest.  I am craving a nap time right now.  My mind has been active since 4am, waking me up with stories.  My brain is telling me it is ready for me to sit and begin writing.  In addition to this, it is getting to that time of year where many things are going on at one time.  You would think the holidays are a busy time, but in fact, that is my down time.  It is actually end of semester that keeps me preoccupied.  I have to get ready for my students' final in a few weeks, motivate students who are not doing so well to get their behinds moving, and work on the 2 art club murals we began last week.  Plus, we need to begin the planning stages of our chalk festival that we host here on our campus.  It is a lot of fun, but a lot of planning and prep go into it.  This doesn't include my own personal goals of writing and illustrating.  I'm just happy that many of these things have lengthy deadlines, so I can balance it all with no stress or concern.