A study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry looked at the impact of Zentangle — a creative drawing activity — on psychiatric symptoms. It found that participants had a significant reduction in symptoms after 5 weeks of participation in Zentangle activities.

Learn more about the art of Zentangle below and how it might be beneficial for older adults.

What Is Zentangle?

Zentangle is a meditative drawing activity. You create images by drawing structured, repetitive patterns. You don't need to be a great artist or know how to sketch to enjoy Zentangle, as most patterns are made of simple lines and shapes.

Doodling vs. Zentangle

Zentangle is more than doodling, but just putting pen to paper and drawing a bit can also be good for your creativity and mental health. Doodling is more spontaneous and freeform. Zentangle typically starts with specific guidelines, and you use some intentional patterns when drawing, working to emphasize mindfulness, relaxation and creativity as you do so.

Potential Benefits of Zentangle for Older Adults

Adding a Zentangle activity to your weekly routine can help you support overall wellness. Here are a few benefits people report from consistent Zentangle activities.

Enhanced Cognitive Function

Zentangle challenges your brain by requiring you to maintain some attention to detail and supporting pattern recognition. As you create or re-create structured designs, you engage multiple cognitive processes that help keep your mind active. Regular creative practice like this may support sharper thinking and help delay cognitive decline over time.

Reduced Stress and Anxiety

Zentangle encourages deep focus on simple, repetitive movements, which can shift your mind away from anxious thoughts. This gentle form of meditation may help lower blood pressure, reduce restlessness and promote a sense of calm.

Improved Fine Motor Skills

Drawing precise patterns with a pen can strengthen the small muscles in the hands and fingers. Zentangle is a low-pressure way to maintain or improve fine motor coordination, which supports everyday tasks like buttoning shirts, tying shoes or assembling crafts and puzzles.

Fun Social Connection

Zentangle can be enjoyed alone, but it also works well in group settings. In an assisted living community, look for drawing or Zentangle classes on the activity calendar, talk to staff about adding one or host your own Zentangle morning or afternoon in a common space.

More Mindfulness for Prayer

The slow, repetitive nature of Zentangle drawing can encourage a prayerful state of mind. For older adults of faith, it offers a tactile way to quiet the mind before or during prayer, deepening focus and spiritual reflection through intentional movement and stillness.

You might also consider adding this activity to your Bible journal. You could write a Scripture verse and then doodle around it as you reflect on it.

A Quick Guide to Getting Started With Zentangle

One of the best things about Zentangle as a hobby is that you can get started with a piece of paper and a pen. Here's a quick guide to incorporating Zentangle into your life.

Materials

You'll need something to draw with. Some people use a variety of pens in multiple colors. Others use special sketching or drawing pens. Ultimately, anything you enjoy using will work. However, you'll get the best results from a fine-tip pen or markers (start with a 0.7-mm tip and move up or down as desired). Ballpoint and felt-tip pens with ink that won't smear are ideal.

You'll also need something to draw on. Traditional Zentangle designs are created on 3.5-inch squares, but you can draw in a notebook or sketchbook or on loose paper from the printer. You can also purchase books with Zentangle grids you can draw in.

That's it. You can add in optional materials as desired or as you level up your Zentangle habit. Optional materials might include:

• A pencil for shading or laying down initial sketch guidelines
• A blending stump for help with shading
• An eraser
• Colored pens, pencils or markers to add color to your tangle
• A Zentangle pattern book for reference (you can also find plenty of free patterns online)

How to Start Your First Tangle

As an activity, Zentangle is super-flexible. You can do it in whatever way you prefer. Here are some tips to get started, though:

• Choose a calm, comfortable place where you can focus on your tangle.
• Use a pencil to sketch out a square border on your paper.
• Inside that square, draw a loose and looping line, which is called a string — it should divide the rest of the space into sections.
• Choose a pattern to start your tangle.
• Fill in a section of your string with the pattern.
• Move on to another section, filling it with the same or a different pattern.
• Repeat until your drawing feels done.

That's it. It's not about perfection, so don't sweat any "errors." Just enjoy creating and try to relax into the moment.

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