Meditative Practice Through Sketchual Healing: Floral Line Art To The Rescue

Today, I’m Discussing My Mental Health and The Practice of Meditation Through Line Art Self-Care.

My thyroid blood work came back negative, but my PCP firmly believes that this is the onset of thyroid disease. More specifically, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Honestly, I do too. However, if my thyroid restarts because it isn’t dead yet? There isn’t much I can do until the blood work catches it on a bad day. My doctor requested that I retest every couple of months. It sounds like her goal is to record it mid-fail for my chart. This way, insurance and disability cannot argue reality.

With that said…

I haven’t felt well lately. Yesterday, I had my lumbar (L4-L5) bilateral steroid epidural. It was not an enjoyable day. I tend to feel quite sore, and it affects my emotions.

To be fair, a fluctuating thyroid is affecting my emotions, too.

So, let’s take a moment to unpack some of my invisible illness self-care that I have been practicing!

Sketchual Healing: Floral Line Art Edition

Floral Line Art by Angela Download

This is an ongoing WIP. Being drawn on dot/bullet journal letter-size paper in 8.5″ x 11″. I imagine you can see where I started and progressed in skill. All on one page.

It isn’t exactly sales quality, I know. I may never sell my physical works. I’m just enjoying the process.

🎨If you like this image, you can download it for free by clicking “download” above.

My Meditative Arts

My mind clears while I draw. It is something I cannot say about any other craft I use.

Crochet helps me process information.
Audiobooks distract my mind, looping me into something different.
Music helps me focus when I am working.
Poetry helps me release trapped emotions.
Sketchual Healing allows me to reach a meditative state with a clear mind.

I have required more meditative and mindful practice. With a cause like this, the effect has been to draw.

The floral project is not the only project I’ve been working on, either!

Grounded & Grateful: Hand Lettering & Line Art Edition

In the past, I have discussed integrating line art and gratitude. I love practicing hand lettering. I started doing this in late middle school or early high school. It is an enjoyable practice.

📖Learn More. Click here to read my post on script writing.

Bringing line art back into my life has reintroduced the passion for hand lettering. So, I am trying to combine the two for my mindful practice!

That has led me to use a smaller dot/bullet journal and artfully design pages where I can write out my gratitude.

Sketchual Healing Gratitude Edition Cover Download

I’m not done cleaning up the cover image, hence the pencil markings. However, I have been building up a few pages so I can hand-letter some gratitude entries soon.

My first entry page is almost complete!

Sketchual Healing Grounded and Grateful Hand Lettering Page Download

The “H” I lettered on the word “healing” bothers me. I was trying something different, and it looks like an “N” instead.

I left it because it was mindful, not perfect.

As you can see, the line art here is coming along. I am learning new patterns and finding fun ways to integrate them together. Some work, some don’t. What does work is the entire practice!

🎨FREE To Download. Click the “download” button above to get your copy of both images.

Etsy Artist Shoutout

♡ This is an affiliate link, a no-cost-to-you feature that helps pay my bills ♡

I am a proud advocate of sharing love where it is deserved. I recently purchased from a small business called SelfHelpHappy. While I await my package that arrives tomorrow, I wanted to take a moment to share the beauty that is the self-care business.

My purchase was from her Shopify, found here. I recently learned about her Etsy shop and I’m a huge supporter of helping others. Nothing feels better than making sure entrepreneurs get a fighting chance!

Especially when I know how positive each experience will be.

She has a wide array of goods that are meant to promote self-care, including sets for various needs…

including Invisible Illness Warriors like us!

When my order arrives, I will share photos. In the meantime, I hope you’ll surf her Etsy shop to see for yourself!

Let’s Burrito This Together…

Looking Back? Click the appropriate link to jump to the section you want.

Introduction → Sketchual Healing: Floral Line Art Edition → My Meditative Arts → Grounded & Grateful: Hand Lettering & Line Art Edition → Etsy Artist Shoutout

I hope you enjoyed my dive into the arts this morning. I cannot express enough how much they save my mental health. My body is doing an alligator death roll, but my mental state is quite healthy, given what I am fighting at this time.

Are you an Etsy seller? I’d love to share your shop in one of my features! Share the link in the comments below and you may see your shop featured, too!

If my words and experiences resonate with you, please take a moment to like and share this post. It helps my words reach a wider audience, and I can help more people feel less alone.

Have a great day, my Wellness Warrior friends.

An Invisible Illness Self-Care Blog

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