Adult Coloring, a growing trend

Art Therapy for Adults

Art Therapy for Adults

I love to color! As a child, I didn’t use coloring as my go to activity, however, as I got older and into college I began to “crave” coloring. It didn’t matter what the coloring book had to do with, it was about me being able to focus on something that was relaxing and carefree. My close friends and roommates in college would always laugh when I brought out the crayons or markers and began to get in my zone.

Anytime they asked why I did it, I simply said “I just love letting go and making little masterpieces at the same time.” It wasn’t until I got older and started to read about the benefits of coloring that I realized the true reason behind it – coloring reduced my anxiety and stress from the day I had faced. Like many individuals, I became more aware of my behaviors as I got older and as a result realized how anxious and stressed I actually was. Looking back at my coloring habit, I realized how much of a de-stressor that was for me. A time where I could be in my own space and mind, just focus on the task at hand and let all my worries float away.

As an adult it can be hard to understand why coloring, typically a child’s activity, would be a great activity. But there are more benefits than you may think, and I had already named a few above.

  1. Coloring helps you unwind. Studies show that coloring helps clear your mind and center your thoughts to help you relax and de-stress after a long, hard day.
  2. Coloring increases your mindfulness. Coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on it and not on our worries.
  3. Coloring stimulates your right brain and helps you think more clearly. Coloring helps you express your creativity in a fun, constructive way especially if you are not doing this throughout your day. This helps you start to think outside of the box and possible come up with some of your best ideas.
  4. Coloring allows you to revisit your childhood, a stress-free time. Coloring brings out our imagination and takes us back to our childhood, a period in which we most certainly had a lot less stress. This leads us immediately and unconsciously to welfare.
  5. Coloring can connect us to our emotions. When coloring, we are the ones who decide what colors to use or how intense our pictures become. This correlates to our current emotions and feelings, as we typically allow them to influence activities we do. Focusing your attention on one calming activity can have a tremendous effect on your mood, energy levels, and how well you sleep.
  6. Coloring is a great creative outlet. There is never a wrong way to color! You get to decide what color each object is, even if it is opposite of what the world tells you.

Now that I’ve told you all the great benefits of coloring, I figured you could all use a few blank pages to begin your journey! Check out the images below and let your mind take you where it wants to go.

Coloring Pages

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Are you struggling with stress or anxiety? Sometimes having a partner in your journey can help. Give us a call  to set up a free phone consultation at Life Skills Resource Group Orlando at 407-355-7378, and one of our Orlando Individual Counselors would be more than happy to help you work on reducing your stress and anxiety.