Doodle Into Calm: Why Doodling Is a Small but Powerful Tool for Mental Wellness (and Why You Should Try It)

As we leave 2025 behind and look toward 2026, many of us feel the need to pause, breathe, and reset. Winter has a way of slowing us down — and we often find ourselves craving something gentle, grounding, and nourishing to bring us back into focus.

For me, that calming space has always been doodling at this time of year.

Yes — doodling.
The thing many of us did absentmindedly in school margins or on meeting notes.
The thing we often dismiss as “silly” or “mindless.”

But doodling is far from mindless.
In fact, it’s one of the most accessible and underestimated creative practices for wellbeing, clarity, and emotional grounding.

And that’s exactly why I’m hosting a calming, quiet, creative doodling workshop on 7 February 2026 — to help you begin the year with softness, presence, and a renewed sense of focus.

But first, let’s explore why doodling is so beneficial

The Benefits of Doodling for Mental Wellness

1. It reduces stress and helps calm the mind

Doodling’s repetitive marks, simple shapes, and gentle rhythms activate parts of the brain associated with ease and relaxation. It occupies the hands just enough to let the mind slow down, much like knitting, walking, or stirring a warm pot of soup.

2. It improves focus and helps shift mental clutter

Many people find that doodling creates just enough sensory engagement to quiet anxious thinking and increase concentration. It’s a form of creative grounding — a way of returning to the present moment through simple marks on a page.

3. It’s a doorway to creativity — even when you feel “stuck”

As an artist myself, I often lean on doodling when my creativity feels blocked. The freedom, looseness, and lack of expectation give my mind permission to explore again. It’s creativity without rules — which is exactly what most of us need from time to time.

4. It’s accessible, affordable, and portable

You don’t need fancy materials, training, or time. A pen and a piece of paper are enough.
This makes doodling a wonderful addition to your personal wellbeing toolkit — as natural as going for a walk or meeting a friend for a cup of tea.

5. It supports emotional processing in a gentle, non-verbal way

Doodling is a creative activity that many people find calming, reflective, and emotionally supportive. It gives your mind space to wander, settle, and express without pressure.

6. It invites play — something adults rarely give themselves permission for

Playfulness is essential for mental wellness. Doodling lets you reconnect with that spark of curiosity that so often gets lost in adult life.

The Science Behind Creativity & Wellbeing: A Quick Note on “Brain on Art”

One of the books I often reference in my workshops is Your Brain on Art, which explores the relationship between creativity, the brain, and human wellbeing.

What I love about this book is how it bridges what many of us feel when we make art with what neuroscience can now explain:

• creativity activates multiple regions of the brain

• making marks can shift emotional states

• engaging with art can support mental resilience

• creative practice can be a valuable part of a wellbeing routine

The examples and case studies it shares are inspiring — and they reinforce what many of us intuitively know: creativity is not a luxury. It’s a support system.

My Personal Relationship With Doodling

Doodling, for me, is a reset button.
When my mind feels noisy or my creativity feels knotted, doodling opens the door again. It’s where ideas begin, where stress melts a little, where my shoulders drop.

It’s not about making something “good.”
It’s about making something at all.
And letting that be enough.

That’s the energy I’m bringing into my workshop this February — a space to simply be, to breathe, to draw, and to rest in the moment.

Join Me This February: Doodle Into Calm — A Creative Reset for 2026

Saturday 7 February 2026 - 2:30pm–4:30pm
Melton Mowbray (small, cosy setting — max 8 participants)

This workshop is:
✨ gentle
✨ warm
✨ reflective
✨ uplifting
✨ beginner-friendly
✨ designed to soothe and refocus

You’ll explore shapes, lines, texture, rhythm, and simple creative patterns that ease the mind and help you reconnect with yourself.

You’ll also take home your own doodling notebook so you can continue the practice whenever you need a moment of calm.

And yes — I’ll be running another one later in the year (November) as we ease back into the darker months and need another soft pause before December unfolds.

Ready to Begin Your Doodling Journey?

Book your place for the February workshop Here

If you’re curious, unsure, excited, or simply craving some calm, you’re welcome here.
If you have questions, feel free to reach out — I’m always happy to help.

Here’s to creativity, calmness, and a softer start to 2026.