Mindfulness for the Restless

Letting Go of the Myth of Balance

I have written before about my long, earnest, slightly embarrassing hunt for balance. It always felt like a snipe hunt. I kept thinking it was just around the corner if I organized my calendar well enough or bought the right notebook. Eventually I realized balance was not a destination for me. But the need for something steady inside the swirl of my days never went away.

I am someone who packs life into every available pocket. Work, writing, school, family, fun, responsibilities, and the miscellaneous category that somehow takes up the most space. I do not sit still easily. People who know me have stopped trying to convince me to.

About a year ago, I decided I needed a mindfulness practice that did not require me to become a different person. Something portable. Something fun. Something that did not ask me to slow down so much as shift gears.

I found coloring.

A Practice That Meets Me Where I Am

Let me be clear. I am not a visual artist. Not even close. But one afternoon I wandered into a local bookstore and found a book of illustrations by Johanna Basford. Her pages are full of tiny leaves, hidden creatures, winding vines, and patterns that feel like they were designed for a restless mind to land on. I felt myself pause. Not physically, but mentally. The way a snow globe settles when you stop shaking it.

I bought the book. I bought colored pencils. And I started.

Now I have a Basford book in my living room, one in my home office, and one tucked into my work bag. When I have five minutes or fifty, when I am waiting or thinking or trying to gather the thoughts ricocheting around my brain, I color.

And it works.

At first I did not understand why this tiny act felt like a reset button. So I did what I always do. I researched. There is a surprising amount of science behind why coloring helps the mind settle. One of the most interesting findings is that the more detailed the image, the more your brain naturally focuses. That gentle, sustained attention is what activates the benefits we associate with mindfulness. Lower stress. Improved concentration. A sense of calm. And yes, even joy. The Mayo Clinic has a helpful overview if you want to explore the research.

But the science only confirmed what I was already experiencing. Coloring gives me just enough structure to quiet the noise and just enough freedom to enjoy the moment. It is mindfulness that meets me where I am. In motion. In thought. In the middle of a life that refuses to be neatly divided into categories.

I do not color to be good at it. I color because it gives my mind a place to land.

And maybe that is the real lesson. Mindfulness does not have to look like stillness. It does not have to be serene or silent or practiced on a cushion at dawn. Sometimes it is a handful of colored pencils and a page full of tiny shapes. Sometimes it is the smallest thing that brings you back to yourself.


***Illustration by Johanna Basford. Used with appreciation. johannabasford.com (Colored by me)