I did not know taking photos can improve mental health & stay present.

Back in 2019, I took a year off from work. I was a lost soul and I tried to recover from my job burnout. I spent most of my time in bed to sleep. Then in early May, the neighbour next door rebuilt her house. I could not rest with the noise pollution right outside my bedroom window during that time.

So, instead of spending time sleeping, I spent time staring at the construction through my house’s windows. I took photos, day by day, just to kill time.

  • The first 2 weeks were a bit random, I did not have any intention to take photos.
  • I then saw “a visual progress” formed up from the photos I took. I saw not only the construction developed but the workers also switching their tasks along with the development – day by day.
  • My mind started to focus whenever I held my phone. The focus started from choosing a subject matter, discovering new angles, to checking out the nature lights before shooting a photo. To me, this process of taking a photo really helped me to stay focus on the present.
  • So I spent more time observing the workers and their surroundings than just checking out. The best part was when I realized observing was very meditative. It drew my mind into a peaceful state. It was when time disappeared, I forgot myself, I forgot my stressful days, and I became a part of something outside my bedroom.
  • I heal myself mentally after 7 months.

Below are a few selected shots from the 7 months of observing the neighborhood through my windows. I took them with my iPhone 6 Plus.

I think photography is not only a form of art, it is also an activity that can be meditative and it doesn’t require staying completely still to meditate.

danchi, the designer