How to sign up for a free subscription - never miss a tangle!
What is Zentangle?
Linda Farmer, Certified Zentangle Teacher

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All contents of this website are Copyright © 2010 - 2024 Linda Farmer, TanglePatterns.com, and artists where named. Copying content in any form other than for your own personal offline reference and inspiration is expressly prohibited. No content may be reproduced, pinned or republished without express written permission. This work is not allowed to be used in training AI systems. Commercial use of any content is prohibited. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Artists for Respect
Your support helps keep TanglePatterns available!
Make your contribution to keep TanglePatterns going in 2025

RANDOM SELECTOR

Use this Random Tangle Selector with your TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE to help you select tangles. See Pages 7 and 9 of the Guide for instructions. You can also use this to select random Strings: simply pop in any number in the range of 1 to 250.

RECENT COMMENTS

ARCHIVES

STORIES: Zentangle helps get through rehab after major surgery and relieve restless leg syndrome (RLS)

In this occasional series on TanglePatterns, readers describe in their own words how Zentangle® has changed their lives. For more accounts in this series, click on the “STORIES” link in the pink alphabetic tangle index above.
Visit this post for the stories that inspired this series.

< : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : >

STORIES: How Zentangle changes lives“My story isn’t as dramatic as some of the ones I’ve seen, but even so, it shows how Zentangle has helped me get thru some of my own problem-times.

First of all, I had major surgery last April, and ended up in a rehab for close to three weeks, working with physical therapists (no, physical terrorists, lol!) for 90 minutes, twice a day. Other than that, my time was my own.

There is only just so much TV I can watch, and I even got tired of reading. What did I do? I tangled, of course, and for an hour or two at a time. I did the tangling in a blank-paper notebook instead of on tiles, and created some nice pages of ZIAs.

So that’s a situation where Zentangle kept me sane, and kept my brain working.

The other thing I’ve discovered about tangling is that it’s a great medicine for restless leg syndrome. Seriously. I mean it, it really is.

Fortunately the RLS doesn’t bother me often, but when it does, it’s horrid. Because I’m already on six other medications, I haven’t even discussed adding RLS meds with my doctor, I just don’t want to take any more meds.

So the last time it hit, driving me crazy, making me twitch and wiggle and just plain annoying me, I grabbed my notebook and my pens and sat down and tangled. After about 30 minutes I realized that my legs and feet had stopped the twitching and wiggling.

Fast forward to the very next evening, when the RLS hit again: I grabbed the notebook and pens again, and tangled. Again, after about 30 minutes or so, I realized my legs and feet, again, were quiet and relaxed.

The focus and intensity of tangling had simply caused my legs to relax to the point that the RLS went away. That was about two weeks ago, and I haven’t had any more RLS attacks since then. The next time it hits, tho, I know what to do!

Like I said, it’s not a dramatic story, but for anyone who has RLS, it might bring some peace to their legs and feet, so I thought I’d share my experience.”

~ Joyce B.

< : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : > : < : >

If you would like to share your own experience for this series, please email me (linda [at] tanglepatterns [dot] com). You can make your story as long as or short as you like and if you wish your personal details to remain private, I will certainly honor that.

By publishing your “testimonials”, I’m hoping it will help spread the word about Zentangle to many others who can REALLY benefit from it. As the Zentangle founders say, “Anything is possible, one stroke at a time.”™

.oOo.

Enhance your Zentangle experience while supporting TanglePatterns:

CURRENT EDITION! TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, 2024 Edition

TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE, 2024 Edition The 13th Edition of the TanglePatterns.com TANGLE GUIDE is an instant-download 109-page interactive digital eBook/PDF containing approximately 2,000 tangles on the site from May 2010 through December 31, 2023. It's a great resource and a must-have digital tool for using the site. Visit the STORE > E-BOOKS page and help keep TanglePatterns.com going by getting your copy now!

"Linda, Thank you! I was relying on too few and getting stuck after 3 years of daily working with Zentangle. This has inspired me to ‘begin again’ with renewed excitement." ~ Barbara R.

See the BOOK REVIEWS page for more details on its features and view a sample page. Note: this is a digital product you download immediately when you place your order, nothing will be physically mailed to you.
GIFT ORDERS FOR ANOTHER PERSON: To give the TANGLE GUIDE as a gift, visit this page to place your gift order.
If you're new to Zentangle® and tangling, my TanglePatterns.com BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO ZENTANGLE is just what you need to get started. Also available en Français and en Español.

Zentangle Primer Volume 1 This is the only Zentangle book you'll ever need: the fabulous Zentangle PRIMER Vol 1. It's your CZT-in-a-book by the founders of Zentangle®. Visit the STORE tab on the top menu bar or click on the image. For more about the content and to read the rave reviews, visit the BOOK REVIEWS tab.
NEW! Now available in KINDLE format for $9.99. Spanish Edition here. Japanese Edition here.
"Absolutely the best Zentangle Book yet! As an accomplished artist I used to think I did not need instruction on this art form. How wrong I was! My tangling improved by leaps and bounds after reading this book. If you think you have Zentangle down then you need this book more than ever!" ~ Kris H

.oOo.

5 comments to STORIES: Zentangle helps get through rehab after major surgery and relieve restless leg syndrome (RLS)

  • It is a nice story and I too believe also that the Zentangle method can help us seriously to come through difficult moments in ours lives!
    Thanks for sharing Joyce,
    Thanks for publishing Linda.

  • I really appreciate this RLS story. Fortunately I don’t have RLS, BUT my husband is bothered quite often. He’s never shown an interest in Zentangle…so I look forward to sharing this story. Looks as though I may have to “take it from the top” and give him some lessons.

  • Thanks for sharing your story. It was open heart surgery that brought Zentangle into my life 4 years ago. It is certainly a healing process for me and has taken me to places in the Zentangle world I never expected. So thank you all for helping me! Maybe I’ll share my whole story one of these days.

  • Nancy Pearson

    Joyce thank you so much for your tangling/RLS story! I appreciate this so much because I am plagued with this almost every night and I dread going to bed. I am trying this tonight —-probably! I think it amazing how tangling can help with so many issues. Isn’t that wonderful? Thank you again. Nancy

  • Joyce Bruns

    Ladies, thank you all for your kind replies. I hope my experience helps y’all, and would love to know if Judith’s husband tries tangling and if it helps his legs, and if it helps your legs, Nancy.

    I can’t imagine going thru open heart surgery, Sue. That had to be so painful, and I, for one, would love to read your story.

    Ria, tangling really can help get thru those rough times in our lives.

    Linda, thank you so much for publishing my story.

    Joyce

Leave a Reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

  

  

  

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.