Mindfulness has been my focus word for the year 2015. I started this year writing an update every month about how I was developing the habit of mindfulness. It’s funny to look back now. The first half of 2015 was an incredibly stressful time for me and I needed mindfulness (and meditation and stress reduction, etc.!) desperately. Now that a lot of the stress from that time in my life is gone, I don’t feel the desperate need to remind myself to maintain my focus on mindfulness. I haven’t written an update in a number of months. Ironically, though, the habit has been built and I continue to do some of the activities that help me be more mindful on a regular basis.

One activity I discovered a few months ago was adult coloring.

There has been a lot of laughter about this topic in my life recently, but I do swear by the power of coloring. I have always been (regardless of my stress level) a person who says the typical, “I could never meditate because I can’t clear my mind. My brain moves faster than I talk and it never stops!”. This is true despite my attempts to listen to meditation and mindfulness apps. However, when I am coloring, everything else melts away.

I strongly recommend you try this out! I encourage everyone to buy a coloring book, carve out anywhere from 10-30 minutes at home, alone in a room with no distractions (I don’t even have TV or music on). I was amazed at how quickly I was able to focus on the coloring and NOTHING else, enjoying the peace and quiet, being fully mindful of what I was going.

I have never had the talent to be an artist, but coloring is easy! And it’s a fun activity, similar to playing with Play Doh, that I get to enjoy with my young nephews!

When I grow up, I dream that I will have the coloring talent of my good friend Barb. She gifted me the amazing coloring below that she did, and I am having it framed to hang in my office. Just looking at this piece of art gives me peace of mind and makes me happy.

As the year comes to a close, I’m really reflecting on mindfulness and how helpful it was to have a focus word this year. I’m starting to contemplate what my 2016 word might be. Will you have a focus word next year?