Coloring and Stress

Several years ago, a new relaxation trend emerged exclusively for adults, which consisted of coloring mandalas and floral scenes. As people found benefits from this activity, namely its ability to get rid of stress, its popularity grew. Coloring for adults serves to reconnect us with ourselves and improve our state of mind and health, and yes – even reduce stress.

The trend is still in force today, though there are still some skeptics who don’t believe that spending a few hours coloring pictures can improve our lives in many ways. After all, coloring is often seen as an activity for children. You’ve probably heard about the benefits of learning to draw and paint for children, two of the best activities for early cognitive and creative development that allow them to exercise their imaginations and express their emotions. However, although we are very clear that this activity is really good for children, few of us continue to apply it when we become adults. This article will list the main benefits of coloring for adults that will inspire you to start coloring pictures, whether of mandalas, animals, or gardens.

Benefits of Coloring in Adults

1. It brings serenity and peace of mind

There are several experts who compare the effects of coloring with that of meditation, since it helps us to center our brain on one thing only and to put aside troubling thoughts, not to mention the constant to-do list in our head.

Sitting down for an hour to color a picture, just as our children do and we did at their age, is a simple and affordable way to relax, because a relaxed person with a clear mind is much more productive and happy.

2. It releases stress

This benefit is similar to the one we just mentioned. Coloring in itself won’t get rid of the problem at its root. But thanks to the meditative quality of coloring as mentioned above, it will help relieve your symptoms of stress and get back on track with a fresh outlook. During the time in which a person is coloring and thinking only about what color to use next, the brain becomes hyper-focused and thus, ‘de-congested’ from constant worry.

3. It strengthens our self-esteem

You may think it’s a bit exaggerated that coloring a few simple drawings has the power to increase your self-esteem and the perception you have about yourself, but the reality is that it’s totally true and it’s also scientifically proven: people who manage to start and finish coloring a picture feel better about themselves.

This is simply due to the satisfaction that comes from seeing a work finished by ourselves and from which we like the final result, since we will have shown that we are capable of finishing what we started without giving up halfway through. It also enables us to discover something else about our more creative side that many of us don’t get to express in our day-to-day lives. Speaking of creativity…

4. It helps us to be more creative and productive

When we color we are not only ‘just coloring.’ Our brain is very active during this time. Coloring is an activity full of many small decisions that our brain must creatively find the solutions to. Facing a black and white drawing, planning the colors, the shadows, the intensity of the line, are some of the many things that our brain must decide while we color a drawing. Additionally our brain has to coordinate constantly with our hands in order to not go outside of the lines (unless you prefer to ;-)) which activates both brain hemispheres. All of this mental activity is akin to exercise that strengthens our creative muscle.

That’s why, if we practice the art of coloring often, we’ll appreciate that spending some time coloring helps our brain find solutions more quickly and clearly. It’s all advantages!

5. It helps us to fall asleep

Experts have been warning for some time about how harmful it can be to use technology in the hours leading up to bedtime, since the blue light emitted by the screens of our devices has diminished the natural production of the hormones responsible for generating melatonin, which is essential for falling asleep naturally and quickly.

For this reason, many people now recommend introducing between 30 minutes to an hour of coloring into our nightly routine, as this will prevent being in front of a mobile phone or computer screen and will not interfere with the production of melatonin. You could say that coloring 30 minutes before going to sleep has the same effect as reading a few pages or listening to relaxing music.

6. You will save money

If there is one thing that is indisputable about the habit of coloring, it is that it is a really cheap thing to do. To color, you only need some colored pencils, a couple of printed drawings ( although you can also create your own) and time – just time. So if you want to let go of stress and you don’t have much money, starting to color may be your best solution.

If you want to color and start enjoying all the benefits we have explained throughout this article, you can download coloring pages for free here at www.inneractstudio.com.

Try it, you won’t regret it!