I’ve always loved to color. Even as a young adult, whenever I babysat or had access to a children’s coloring book, I would break out the crayons and get my artsy fartsy on. This past Christmas, my mom got me adult coloring books and I love them! Adult coloring books have become quite popular in the last couple of years. I was in a bookstore recently that had an entire “adult coloring books” section! Talk about heaven on earth for creative minds.
If you haven’t gotten yourself a coloring book yet, you might want to think about doing that. Why? Because I said so. No, but really, think about these 5 things and then maybe you’ll see what all the fuss is about.
1. Self Expression
Whether you realize it or not, self expression is an important part of maintaining your identity. I find it interesting to watch different people color the same picture because it’s fascinating to see which person chooses which colors. Like, really? You want the sky to be that shade of blue? Expressing yourself through coloring is a healthy habit, and one that allows you to fully be yourself with no judgment. (Well, maybe your kids will judge you, but what do those little terrors angels know anyway? They don’t even know how to stay in the lines.)
2. A Welcome Distraction
The bills, the dishes, the laundry, all of those things that create my “to do” list are always present in my mind, no matter how hard I try to push them aside. When I color though, I’m able to release all of that stuff that’s building up by physically and mentally focusing on something else. Instead of worrying about paying the electric bill, I can worry about which shade of green to color the tree in my coloring book.
3. Stress Relief
As someone who struggles with anxiety, I know that having a way to release stress helps combat the daily worries that consume me. The actual act of coloring somehow allows me to feel more calm because it’s like I am “releasing” the anxiety through art. I mean, who could possibly be stressed out by a colorful picture?
4. Talent Realized
I had a girls night recently that doubled as a coloring party (yes, we do that). And when I finished coloring my page, I thought, wow, that looks pretty nice! One thing that’s great about doing things you don’t normally do is that you discover a whole new side of yourself. You learn just how talented you are, and it’s a total confidence booster! Most adult coloring books even have tear out pages so that you can frame your creations!
5. Parent Child Bonding
One way I bond with my son is through coloring. He’ll get out his coloring books, and I’ll get out mine. We’ll sit and color together, but each in our own books. It’s a wonderful way to spend quality time together while still enjoying our own special ways of expressing ourselves. Sometimes we’ll switch books, just to mix things up, and even his outside the lines masterpieces amaze me!