Color Your Way to Calm

Coloring isn’t just for kids anymore. Adult coloring books are all the rage right now—I see them everywhere I go. Whether you’ve already jumped on the bandwagon or are interested in getting started, here’s how coloring may benefit you:

Coloring helps reduce stress and anxiety  

It relaxes the part of our brain that controls our fight or flight response, allowing us to take a break from our busy lives to focus on the simple task at hand. Coloring requires an attention to detail that helps us remain in the present moment and temporarily disrupts any negative thoughts or emotions we’re having. It can also have a calming effect because it’s predictable. We know what’s going to happen when we finish—we’ll end up with a wonderful work of art. Even if we screw it up, there won’t be any major consequences.

To get the most out of our experience, the type of picture we choose to color matters. A study published in the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found that coloring mandalas or geometric patterns offer the most benefits.

In a recent study, 84 undergraduate students from Knox College in Galesburg, IL were randomly assigned to color a mandala, plaid pattern, or a blank piece of paper after “a brief anxiety-induction”. The study discovered that the groups who colored mandalas and plaid patterns had a greater reduction in anxiety than the group that colored the blank pieces of paper. Both the mandala- and plaid-coloring groups had the same levels of anxiety reduction.  

These findings suggest that coloring complex geometric patterns may induce a meditative state. This is why many psychologists suggest coloring as an alternative to meditation for their patients suffering from anxiety.

Coloring brings out our inner child  

It can make us feel like a kid again (although we’re probably much better at staying inside the lines now). It brings me back to a time when my biggest worry was how late I could stay outside to ride my bike. Thinking back to happy childhood memories can make us feel more positive and optimistic about our future.

Coloring is also a great way to bond with the children in our lives. I’ve sat on the floor next to my nieces and shared crayons to color our own beautiful masterpieces. We were as content as could be.  

Coloring allows us to unplug 

It’s an activity we can do instead of relying on technology. So many of us just scroll mindlessly through Facebook or Instagram when we’re bored. Why not do something a little different to occupy our time and help us unwind?

I talk more about why we should take a break from technology in my previous blog post called Disconnect to Reconnect.  

Coloring serves as a creative outlet  

If you’ve ever wanted to feel artsier or are looking for something to ignite your creativity, coloring may be your answer.

Research shows that coloring can help us become more creative and analytical thinkers. That’s because the act of choosing colors for intricate shapes taps into the analytical part of our brains while creating our overall color scheme uses the creative side of our brains. Choosing bolder colors and patterns can also boost our confidence to incorporate more color into our lives, whether it be through our clothing or the interior of our homes. 

Are you ready to start coloring?