Mindless Doodling as Relaxation
What a joke. She did not just suggest that an easy way to unwind after a hard day is to do some mindless doodling?
Yep. I hear (and read) this suggestion frequently.
Doodling is drawing. Drawing is one of the most challenging mental practices you can engage in. One who assumes that drawing, doodling, or sketching is mindless has probably never put pen to paper. What do you think pushes the ink around, if not your brain, your mind. Your hand is only a tool.
If doodling were mindless, I would have retained a hell of a lot more in math class. Is it as challenging as representational art? Maybe not, unless you have a concept in mind and you are working entirely from imagination. Doodling is a form of fluid self-expression.
If you want a great mental workout, then, by all means, start doodling. What you are feeling is more akin to the experience of meditation. What could be farther from a mindless activity than meditation? Retire the idea that watercolor painting or sketching is easy. Respect the practice. But by all means, do give it a try. Art is incredibly beneficial to your mental health.
