By Susan Shekut, MA, Clinical Professional Psychology, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer
Stress management is a big concern for most people. There are a lot of different activities we can do to help us calm down our nervous systems, help us to refocus and feel less frazzled. We can go for a walk, do deep breathing, mediate, do yoga and…we can color. What do I mean by coloring? Coloring as in using crayons or colored pencils to color a picture or in a coloring book.
Huffington Post author Elena Santos explains the psychological benefits of coloring in, Coloring Isn’t Just For Kids. It Can Actually Help Adults Combat Stress. Coloring is a great distraction activity when you feel overwhelmed or need a brain break from heavy-duty worries or concentration on difficult mental processes (like doing your taxes!). Ms. Santos states that, “In simplest terms, coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on it and not on our worries.” In her article, she cites a number of sources for adult coloring books and notes that one expert recommends leaving magic markets with alcohol content aside and using good old crayons to color.
Great Adult Coloring Books For Relaxation
• Color Me Calm: 100 Coloring Templates for Meditation and Relaxation (A Zen Coloring Book). On Amazon for $12.23. Click here to order. (Note the Amazon Prime copy may be out of stock, but other sellers have new and used versions available.)
• Dover Creative Haven Art Nouveau Animal Designs Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books). The art nouveau designs are intricate and give your mind a fun place to spend some time as you add color and bring the “animals” to life. On Amazon for $3.78. Click here to order.
• Creative Coloring Inspirations: Art Activity Pages to Relax and Enjoy! This book combines inspirational messages with art to color. on Amazon for $6 or less. Click here to order.
• Mystical Mandala Coloring Book (Dover Design Coloring Books). Some mandalas in the book are very intricate and others are more simple. Each design provides excellent samples of meditative art. Click here to order.
If you type “adult coloring book” into Amazon’s search engine, you can find coloring books on just about any topic you can imagine from ponds, natural parks, Victorian homes and flowers, to books with drawings of zombie, dragons and muscle cars. Whatever type of topic you find relaxing or distracting, you can find a coloring book to suit your needs. Or you can also simply go to your nearest department store like Target and buy a box of crayons and your favorite superhero comic coloring book or simply use your crayons to color black and white comics or ads in the newspaper. Or use your own black and white artwork or doodles to color.
What are some of your favorite color books or designs to color?
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