voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
Mental Health Awareness Week - FVA's Christina does sudoku and drawing for mental wellbeing
Created: 08/05/2024
I do a lot of sudoku and mandala drawing on an app called Amaziograph for the iPad.
I started sudoku years ago because I realised that, whilst I'm terrible with numbers, it's not about numbers - it's about patterns. I do sudoku everywhere and always carry a book and pen with me wherever I go. I also do sudoku with my gran when I'm visiting her. It's a nice thing to sit down and chat away whilst we're doing the puzzle.
Because I have my sudoku book wherever I go, if I forget headphones for long travels, it’s so handy to have, when I’m waiting on appointments, in a café, everywhere. My mind is very busy because of anxiety, and I am always hyperaware of what is going on around me, so it helps me focus on something that takes up enough brain power to distract my thoughts.
I started mandala drawing recently after seeing a social media post about it. I do it in an app that splits up the circle, and if you draw one piece of it, it copies it to the other pieces. I'm quite a creative person and have lots of different hobbies, but those hobbies need proper attending to like embroidery and painting and can sometimes cost a lot. With the app, it's easy to pull out and just draw away if I'm feeling down about not being creative enough that day.
The app only cost 99p and it's been well worth it. Sudoku is even more accessible as you can find a sudoku book just about anywhere and also do it on your phone for free. Both are really good at turning your mind off and giving yourself a break with the busyness of life.