Not a Waste of Time

A Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania study found that coloring, drawing, and doodling make us feel more relaxed because they activate the prefrontal cortex, which helps control the brain’s reward pathways and contributes to our emotions, decision-making capabilities, and motivation. In this study, the participants were given paper and markers and instructed to doodle in several…

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Why Do I Draw?

When I studied art many years ago, I was taught to draw and create beautiful things for others. The process was about pleasing and recognition—not transformation. I struggled with that approach because it placed me outside of myself and left me feeling off balanced, unsure of myself, and discontent. Then one day I came to…

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The Chain of Harm

When we are young, our minds are predominantly in a theta brain state—copy and paste. This allows us to learn an immense amount of information quickly as we adapt to new environments. Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to question the appropriateness of what we are learning during these early and formative years. This means…

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Cause and Effect

One of the stumbling blocks I encountered with my first child was how to deal with toys not being picked up and put away. I knew I didn’t want to nag or yell, but being a new parent I didn’t know how to recruit my daughter’s cooperation in a consistent and effective way. I was…

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Worry is Negative Prayer

Worry is a form of negative prayer. True prayer is the act of deep listening, then sending out the positive energy, thoughts, and intentions needed. Because worry is based on fear, when you worry you are inadvertently sending fear and negative energy instead of love and support. With this in mind, it is easy to see that worry…

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