Happiness Break: Sketching Serenity with Chris Murchison

A guided drawing meditation to help you break out of stale thought patterns and maybe even enter a state of flow. No talent required.

How to Do This Practice:

1. Grab a piece of paper and something to draw with.

2. Find a comfortable place and start by taking some deep, mindful breaths

3. Take a few moments to take in your environment. What colors, shapes, and objects do you see? 

4. Set a timer and for the next two minutes, draw something that caught your attention. Don’t worry about how it looks and try to stay in the moment. 

5. Once time is up, spend a moment appreciating what you drew. Think about the impact of slowing down and doing something fun has had on your day. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Chris Murchison is a meditation teacher, artist and speaker. He currently works as an independent advisor for organizations interested in improving their work cultures.

Check out Chris’s GGSC profile: https://tinyurl.com/32htut6n 

Learn more about Chris’s art and other work: https://chrismurchison.com/about

Follow Chris on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4auxk3ur 

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/murchisonchris?lang=en

Add Chris on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/253x83ty 

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Doing Something Creative Can Boost Your Well-Being: https://tinyurl.com/4pcwxhsf 

What is Creative Mortification and How Can You Overcome It: https://tinyurl.com/583kswfw

Does Art Heal? https://tinyurl.com/3ttybzpm 

Everyday Art: https://tinyurl.com/mstemcsf

7 Ways to Foster Creativity: https://tinyurl.com/ycn5majv 

How to Combat America’s Creativity Crisis: https://tinyurl.com/yckzm8se

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of drawing this week. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.