How Coloring Helps Adults Reduce Stress

     The top best selling books on Amazon right now are adult coloring books. Why? Because it’s an alternative to meditation that reduces stress and calms the mind.

     For many people, most days are spent multi-tasking on countless projects. When using a computer, we have multiple programs open. While in a meeting, we’re simultaneously checking our smartphones. Modern lives have very little time where our attention is focused on one task. ​

     This constant stream of distractions keeps our focus away from what is happening in the present moment, which can cause us to be overwhelmed or anxious. Taking time for ourselves to be aware of our emotions and creatively work through them is vital for reducing stress.
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     Activities like meditation and yoga are highly regarded as ways to exercise mindfulness and reduce stress. These practices promote mind-body awareness by keeping thoughts and actions rooted in the present moment.

     Recently, another activity has grown in popularity for people wanting to decrease stress in their lives: adult coloring books. Similar to meditation, coloring helps calm the mind and like yoga, coloring helps cultivate intentional movement. These benefits can be applied in our daily lives when we feel stressed or anxious.

     Drawing, doodling and making art are noted ways to relieve stress and promote memory. Adult coloring books provide the same benefits in a similar way. Allowing yourself to focus on the shapes, patterns and colors keeps the mind focused on one activity, instead of thinking about your to-do list.

     For those who say “I’m not an artist” or “I don’t know what to draw,” coloring books are a simple way to foster creativity. Additionally, if you’re not a natural born artist, this is a great way to build confidence and learn a new skill. Channeling your inner artist in this simple way can help you to release tension and process emotions.

Here are 3 ways that adult coloring books can help you de-stress:

1. Coloring is fun! - Re-connecting with your childlike love of art is enjoyable. Choosing colors, patterns and designs allows your brain to relax and play. Creating something beautiful and following it to completion gives a sense of satisfaction. How can you be stressed if you’re having a good time?
2. Coloring engages the right side of the brain - The modern world tends to be dominated by left brain activities, which includes analytical, logical and digital brain functions. Coloring allows the right brain to focus on it’s non-verbal, creative, intuitive processes, which help us stay grounded in the present moment.
3. Coloring promotes creativity and self expression - For centuries, artists have been channeling their feelings, thoughts and emotions onto paper. Expressing yourself creatively  helps to quiet the mind and release tension that builds through the day. For people who don’t have a creative hobby, coloring is a great option for exploring their artistic side.

     Like yoga and meditation, creating art with adult coloring books helps calm the mind. Stepping away from the distractions of technology and your to-do list, and focusing on self expression releases stress and promotes mindfulness.

     In her Psychology Today article, “Art and Happiness,” Cathy Malchiodi writes: “...art making holds the possibility to transform that which is painful into something eventually positive. To me, that is the ultimate testimony that art and happiness are inevitably intertwined.”

Try it out! Here are some samples you can print, but there are endless coloring pages like these on the internet.