5 Ways Mandala Art Changed My Life

 

For as long as I can remember, my life has revolved around one thing: being a mom. From the moment I opened my eyes in the morning until the late hours of the night, I was always on. Preparing meals, solving problems, calming tears, celebrating milestones, cleaning messes, and answering an endless stream of “Mama?”—this was the rhythm of my life. And I poured myself into it, fully and without hesitation.

But somewhere along the way, I forgot how to pause.

I forgot how to breathe for myself. 

There was always something more urgent than my own needs. A forgotten school bag. A late-night fever. A mountain of laundry. I wasn’t unhappy. I was just exhausted. I kept pushing, pushing, pushing… until I couldn’t anymore. I hit a wall. A deep, quiet burnout crept in, and I found myself hollowed out from the inside.

Then something unexpected happened.

I went on a short getaway alone. Just for two days to catch my breath. No children. No to-do lists. Just silence. I didn’t have a plan. I brought a notebook, some pens, and the hope that maybe I’d reconnect with a part of myself I hadn’t heard from in years.

That’s when I discovered mandala art.

It started with a simple circle. I traced it carefully. Then another inside it. And another. No rules, no expectations; just rhythm. As I added shapes and patterns, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time: peace. That one moment of drawing quietly opened a door I didn’t know existed. A door to healing. To stillness. To myself.

1. It Taught Me to Be Present

When you’re a mom, your mind is always running ahead—what’s for dinner, who needs help with homework, how to fix the next emotional meltdown. Mandala drawing gave me something I didn’t know I was desperate for: a pause. It’s hard to explain until you try it, but focusing on small, repeated patterns naturally draws you into the present.

Every shape I added felt like a deep breath.

Every stroke pulled me closer to now.

It was a gentle, healing kind of mindfulness. Unlike meditation, which sometimes felt impossible to quiet my racing mind, mandala drawing gave me something to do while I rested mentally. That small shift changed my relationship with stress.

If you’ve never tried mindful mandala drawing, I share free beginner tutorials and printable guides on MariaHajj.com to help others experience this same calm.

2. It Healed My Inner Chaos

I didn’t realize how much emotional clutter I was carrying until I saw it spilling into my drawings. Some days, my mandalas came out tight, rigid, and tense—just like my body. Other days, they were fluid and flowing. I started to notice patterns between what I was feeling and what I was drawing. And then came the powerful realization: this art was helping me release what I couldn’t always put into words.

It became a safe space to process grief, guilt, overwhelm—without needing to explain anything to anyone. Just me, a pen, and a piece of paper. No judgment. No rules. Just relief.

Over time, the shapes I drew reflected more peace than pain.

3. It Gave Me a Voice Without Words

I’ve always been someone who feels deeply but doesn’t always know how to express it—especially the heavy stuff. Through mandalas, I found a way to say things my voice couldn’t. Each color I chose, each layer I built—it was all a message from my subconscious.

It made me feel seen, by myself.

And that was healing in a way I never expected.

This form of creative expression also reawakened parts of me I had long silenced. The artist. The dreamer. The storyteller. The woman who had ideas and needed space to bring them to life. Mandala art became more than a hobby. It became a reclamation.

4. It Reconnected Me to My Roots

As I deepened my practice, I naturally gravitated toward the mandala styles that echoed Middle Eastern patterns—like the ones I saw in my grandmother’s rugs or on the mosaics in old Lebanese homes. I began incorporating traditional motifs, Arabesque elements, and cultural symbolism into my work.

That connection to heritage brought a whole new layer of meaning.

I wasn’t just drawing. I was remembering.

It became a quiet tribute to my ancestors, to the stories woven into our art, our textiles, our architecture. And it made me proud. For the first time, I wasn’t trying to fit into Western art standards—I was honoring the beauty I came from.

5. It Became a Purpose Bigger Than Me

Once I saw how deeply mandalas had helped me heal, I couldn’t keep them to myself. I started sharing what I learned—online, in workshops, through books. I created mandalas for others to color. I taught people how to draw their own. I listened to their stories, and they listened to mine.

Suddenly, my art wasn’t just personal—it became communal.

Today, I help others discover their own inner peace and creativity through mandala drawing. Whether it’s a tired mom needing a moment of calm, a child struggling with focus, or someone healing from grief—there’s a mandala for every heart. And nothing brings me more joy than watching someone light up when they say, “This helped me.”

Final Thoughts

Mandala art didn’t just help me unwind—it helped me come back to myself.

It reminded me that I matter too. That creativity is not a luxury. That stillness is a form of strength.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, lost, or creatively stuck, I invite you to pick up a pen, draw a simple circle, and let your hand move. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be pretty. It just has to be yours.

You might be surprised by what you find within that circle.