Mandala: Best way to cope with Anxiety

Mandala Art for treating Anxiety Yeti Journals

Have you ever dreaded about the future? Do you anticipate the worst, even though it is most likely unrealistic? Do your palms start sweating and your heart starts beating excessively before your turn for the presentation in front of the class? Can you never seem to concentrate on the task you’re trying to do?

These are some of the many symptoms reflecting that you may have experienced anxiety and in fact, most of us have at some points of our lives. It is natural to feel unpleasant, uneasy, and anxious. However, our experiences with anxiety differ. Some of us may have long term problems with anxiety, while most of us do not.

Trying to understand and cope with my own anxiety, I researched some techniques that could help me reduce it. In a long list of remedies, one struck me the most and that was Mandala art.

The word “Mandala” comes from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘circle’. Traditional “Mandalas” are used in religious rituals contain four gates with a circle at the center as the essential object or goal of contemplation. The non-traditional form of the mandala takes the idea of the religious ritual into therapeutic use.

One way to reduce anxiety by mandala art is by drawing one. Drawing a mandala starts with a dot, then a circle, turning into a mandala flower with different patterns. You need to let patterns flow through your mind and concentrate on the mandala. This will help you express what you are feeling and lets you stimulate your creativity.

Another way to reduce anxiety is by coloring a mandala. It works the exact same way as drawing one. You can buy different mandala coloring books to color in or you could color the mandala you have drawn. The process of coloring mandala requires focused attention and repetitive motor movements. This helps one to relieve their stress and in the process reduce their anxiety.

I have been trying both methods – drawing and coloring mandalas. In my experience, after the completion of drawing or coloring one mandala, I have always felt relieved and calmer than usual. Mandala art is a great way to explore creativity and to release one’s emotion in a paper, and in the process, it helps you increase focus, reduce anxiety, and feel good.

So, whenever you feel anxious the next time, take a piece of paper and a pen and start drawing a mandala and let the patterns flow freely without any hesitation. Take it from me, you will end up feeling great when you are done.

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