Coloring is a hobby we normally associate with children, but why should kids get all the fun? Aside from just being a fun activity, coloring has been proven to improve creativity, improve the way we deal with emotions, and improves focus.
While most of us haven’t picked up a colored pencil or crayon since they disappeared from school supply lists, publishers all over the world have been producing adult coloring books as people started to recognize their ability to relieve stress.
Take a look at the top 3 reasons you should pick up an adult coloring book, and revisit your old childhood pastime.
3. Coloring is therapeutic.
Coloring won’t cure a disease, but the activity has long been used to help people cope with conditions like PTSD, Cancer, and depression. One study found that art therapy significantly reduced symptoms of emotional and physical distress of cancer patients while in treatment.
Using art as therapy is so effective because it provides a way for people to express themselves when it’s difficult to put emotions into words. And you don’t have to be sick to reap the rewards, anyone can use coloring as an outlet to express emotions that they normally aren’t able to.
2. Coloring relieves stress and anxiety.
By allowing yourself to focus on colors and design, instead of your constant worries, you’re giving your brain a chance to unwind and organize itself. Coloring gives the fear center of your brain a chance to take a rest, which reduces your overall stress levels overtime. Like meditation, coloring trains the brain to respond less dramatically to stress.
1. Coloring trains your brain to focus.
Coloring requires concentration and focus to stay inside the lines, and to pick colors according to how they interact in the picture, which forces you to stay in the moment instead of letting your mind wander off. One clinical counselor, Leslie Marshall, explains that coloring “opens up the frontal lobe of the brain — the home of organizing and problem solving — and focuses the mind.”
Simply put, coloring allows you to forget about your worries and to-do lists, and focus on what’s right in front of you. Over time, this carries over into other areas of your life, and allows you to focus on one issue at a time.
Turns out Samantha had it right all along.
Would you buy an adult coloring book? Share your thoughts with us in the comments feed below.
[Featured image credit: www.techinsider.io]