And no. It’s not just for children!!
I’m sure you’ve come across plenty of mandala colouring books over the last few years. Indeed I have designed a whole load of my own.
How Colouring Can Help Reduce Stress
Do you find yourself feeling stressed, overwhelmed, pressured…. to the point that you feel you’re going to burst? Grab yourself a colouring book, seriously. What might have once seemed like a childhood activity has now become one of the trends in terms of stress reduction. Here are some ways that colouring can help reduce stress in your life.
1. Mindfulness
If you’ve looked into ways of reducing stress, you’ve probably read about or practiced meditation. In a mindfulness meditation practice, you work to reduce stress by sitting peacefully and observing your breath. By focusing on your breath, you can reduce the power of thoughts.
Similarly, colouring gives you something to focus on. As you bring the colored pencil across the page, you can feel like there is nothing else in the world that matters at this moment. You might be aware of your concerns outside of this practice, but you can put them on hold. Instead, your focus can be on the moment and your process.
2. Concentration
You can’t colour mindlessly. If you’re trying to colour while watching TV or talking on the phone, you’re not going to be able to focus on the task in hand. In order to get the most out of the time you spent colouring you’ll need to avoid distractions.
Pop your phone on silent and turn off the TV. Set a timer for about 10-20 minutes and just colour. Focus on the page (or pages) you’re working with and just notice any sensations. Pay attention to the colour of the pencils and how they feel on the paper. When the timer ends, you might feel like you want to keep going. If you do, listen to it. This shows that you’re in the zone. You might soon find that colouring is your go-to method when it comes to reducing stress.
3. Creativity
Many people find that doing something creative helps them feel less stressed. After a busy day, try some colouring. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t create the images you’re colouring. You’re finished designs are your creativity!
Before colouring, check in with yourself. How are you feeling? You might be feeling tense and want to use calming colors like light blue or grey. You might also be feeling angry and want to use stronger colours such as red to get your anger out. Additionally, you might not be sure how you’re feeling and use an assortment of colours.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this and that it may inspire you to pick up a colouring book next time you’re out shopping. Or, head over to good old Amazon and check out my book below!
