Coloring Affirmation Cards
I feel like the last two months have been the hardest and darkest days since this journey all began. After four months of infusions, every three weeks, my mind and body were completely depleted. It was hard for me to get myself up, to get outside, to get off the couch, let alone focus on a craft. I felt like a shell of myself — and honestly I probably was.
I had grand plans for a knitting project during my TCHP treatments, but as the infusions went on, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything. As soon as the pre-medications hit my system, I would become woozy from the Benadryl and would instantly get a terrible, dull taste in my mouth, the sterile smell of the infusion center would take over, and my head would become a murky fog.
This was when just doing nothing, playing cards, or mindful (mindless) coloring felt the easiest with my caretakers.
A friend of mine gifted me these whimsical small coloring cards that would lift my spirits with their positive affirmations. They fit perfectly on the swing out table connected to my infusion chair, the lines were already drawn, the composition already laid out, all I had to do was pick a color. They were also small enough that the card could be completed during one session. It felt doable, achievable, a place where I could “expect to experiment” without consequence of my own judgements.
The Mayo Clinic speaks to the benefits of coloring and suggests “as you color, pay attention to your breathing rhythm, ensuring steady, full breaths from your diaphragm, and tune into your heart rate periodically if you can.”
Medical jargon aside, this seems like a beautiful practice to embrace. I know the value in breathing and meditating, so why not add some creativity to that practice? Early in my career, I interned with the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and I remember setting up a day camp for school children. We explored abstract painting and music. The students were prompted to listen to a diverse soundtrack and make marks on their page, in real time, based on what they were hearing and feeling from the music being played. They each created some very unexpected and moving pieces of work. It could be an interesting study to see how coloring vibrations change depending on your breathing, just like the music changed the energy of the mark.
Anyone up for experimenting with a coloring and breath work evening to see what we can create?
Artist Lexis Krieg makes these creative optimism affirmation cards. One of my favorite things is they are sold in sets of two so you can share the creativity. Pick up a set for you and gift one to your loved one at Lexisworks.