Finding Your Flow State

November 24, 2025November 17, 2025

Finding Your Flow State

In the latest YouTube video, Peggy returns to Wembury Beach, next to the village where she grew up. Surrounded by sea air and childhood memories, she reflects on how her early love of drawing may have been the start of a lifelong relationship with mindfulness and creativity.

Peggy shares that she lived in Wembury from birth until she was around eight years old — and with her usual humour, she jokes that, of course, by the age of eight she had already begun her career as an art and mindfulness facilitator. Her chosen materials? Wax crayon on sugar paper!

It’s a light-hearted memory, but it carries something deeper. Even as a child, Peggy found herself completely absorbed in her art — losing track of time, tuning out the noise around her, and drifting into her own world. She laughs that her teachers might have described this in her school reports as being ‘unable to pay attention’, but looking back, she realises she was actually experiencing what’s now known as a flow state.

What Is a Flow State?

A flow state is a very focused and productive mental state, sometimes called being in the zone. It’s that feeling when you’re so completely immersed in what you’re doing that time seems to disappear — you forget your surroundings, your to-do list fades away, and you feel calm, creative, and fully present.

Psychologists describe the flow state as a place where happiness, creativity, and focus meet. It’s often associated with artists, musicians, and athletes, but anyone can experience it — whether through painting, cooking, gardening, or even tidying a space mindfully.

When we’re in flow, our mind becomes quiet, our stress levels drop, and we feel a sense of deep satisfaction. It’s a natural form of mindfulness, where awareness and action become one.

Returning to Calm Through Creativity

Peggy’s gentle reflections on Wembury Beach remind us that mindfulness isn’t always about sitting still or meditating, it can also be found in those moments of joyful focus, when we’re doing something creative that makes time stand still.

At Mindful Art Club, we celebrate exactly that: the connection between creativity, calm, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you’re colouring with crayons or experimenting with paint, the process of creating can bring a sense of grounding, peace, and joy – just like Peggy felt all those years ago on the Devon coast.

Watch Peggy’s video here: Finding Flow at Wembury Beach on YouTube

Be sure to like and subscribe to our new YouTube channel and find more great videos like this! Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and get ready to enjoy our fun tips and tools for managing anxiety with mindful art.

November 17, 2025November 17, 2025

Afraid to Eat in Front of Others? Try These 5 Calming Tips!

In her latest video, Peggy comes to us from a peaceful (though very romantic!) little restaurant on the Grand Union Canal . For those who don’t know, Peggy spent many years living and working on canal boats across the country, so it’s no surprise she feels right at home waterside!

As she sits by the canal, Peggy talks openly about something many people struggle with but rarely discuss: the fear of eating in front of others.

These fears even have names:

Solomangarephobia — fear of eating alone in public
Deipnophobia — fear of eating with, or in front of others

Both are more common than people realise, especially for those who’ve experienced anxiety, trauma, body-image worries, or past criticism around food or table manners.

But the good news? There are ways to feel calmer, more grounded, and more confident. Peggy shares five gentle tips that can help.

5 Calming Tips for Eating in Front of Others

1. Try People-Watching

This simple shift in focus can be surprisingly soothing. By observing the world around you — the chatter, the scenery, the small details — you redirect your attention outward instead of inwards on anxious thoughts.

2. What Other People Think of You Is None of Your Business

A firm favourite in Peggy’s toolkit!
Most people in a café or restaurant are wrapped up in their own day, their own food, their own thoughts. And even if someone did think something… you don’t have to carry it.

3. Bring a Book to the Table

Reading gives your mind something comforting, familiar, and grounding to focus on. It can help break that feeling of being ‘on display’ and bring a sense of normality back to the moment.

4. Eat Mindfully – Focus on the Food

Notice the textures, flavours, colours, and warmth. Eating mindfully not only reduces anxiety, it turns the meal into a sensory experience rather than a stressful one.

5. Gently Explore the Root Cause

Fear around eating in public often comes from earlier experiences, embarrassment, judgement, bullying, cultural expectations, or social anxiety. You don’t have to solve it all at once, but gently exploring where the fear comes from can make it easier to work through over time.

Remember, you’re not alone

Peggy’s canal-side reminder is simple: This fear is more common than you think, and you deserve to feel comfortable and confident when eating, wherever you are. Through mindfulness, self-kindness, and small steps like these, it is possible to soften the anxiety and reclaim the simple pleasure of enjoying food in the world.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our new YouTube channel and check out our recent videos for more like this! Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and get ready to enjoy our fun tips and tools for managing anxiety with mindful art.

November 3, 2025November 3, 2025

The Surprising Benefits of Neurographic Art

We recently had the pleasure of running a special Mindful Art Club session with Gifted Women, a charity that supports women with multiple disadvantage to access employment opportunities.

The wonderful afternoon was filled with creativity, community and calm using a Mindful Art Club favourite, neurographic art – a gentle drawing technique that encourages relaxation through the process rather than the focus of a final product.

What is neurographic art?

Neurographic art is a therapeutic practice developed by psychologist Pavel Piskarev, as a way to help people process emotions and reduce stress through creative expression!

The idea is simple, instead of trying to draw something ‘perfectly’ (whatever that means anyway!) you draw free-flowing lines, shapes, and patterns that represent your thoughts and feelings. As you add curves, colours, and connecting lines, the picture begins to evolve often in ways you didn’t expect!

Neurographic art is about letting your mind relax while your hand moves freely, simply enjoying the process of creating. The process is recognised for being calming and meditative, helping to quiet those busy thoughts and bring a sense of peace and focus. It’s clear to see why we love neurographic art so much at Mindful Art Club!

Mindfulness and empowerment

Collaborations like this with Gifted Women show how mindfulness and creativity can support mental health, confidence, and emotional wellbeing, especially for women rebuilding their lives and careers. Peggy and Emma were inspired by the openness and creativity in the room, as everyone approached the exercise differently. It was so wonderful to see how mindful art allows for both individuality and connection.

We’re so grateful to have shared this time together and we look forward to more creative partnerships that help people find calm, confidence, and connection through art. Click here to find out more about Gifted Women’s work.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our new YouTube channel and have a look at some of the wonderful art created in this session! Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and get ready to enjoy our fun tips and tools for managing anxiety with mindful art.

Month: November 2025