As children we typically live carefree lives. The hardest decisions we really had to make was whether we wanted to go outside and play or stay in and watch our favorite movies. As adults, though, there’s hardly anything that doesn’t cause stress. We pile issue on top of issue and our minds grow cluttered with worries and stresses. Isn’t there a way to avoid this? Not usually, but there is a way to at least reduce the sources before they become overwhelming and cause you all sorts of anxiety.
You may have noticed in stores there are coloring books directed towards adults. Inside there are intricate designs, mostly forms of mandalas. Coloring is a proven method of stress reduction. The reason for this is simple: our brain has found a distraction, a break. When coloring, our brain is activated and different parts of our cerebral hemispheres begin working towards the objective at hand. It is through creativity and logic that our cerebral cortex begins using its fine motor skills and vision. Due to this, our minds are able to relax. The amygdala’s (another area of the brain) activity is reduced, and, since the amygdala plays a huge part in the controlling of emotions, the mind has little ability to worry about the stressful things it is going through and instead focuses on the intricate designs.
The stress reduction is made possible due to the specific designs and patterns. Since we are forcing our brain to focus on coloring everything else becomes minimized and we are able to pay attention to the task at hand much easier. As a college student, I know it gets tiresome spending every moment of the day staring at computer screens and lectures. It is actually advised to take a five minute break for every twenty minutes of work. In that time, have your colored pencils at your side and pick up that book. It will relieve your mind and increase productivity levels. You don’t even have to use a coloring book! Doodling or painting will have the same effect. It is all about personal preference, but the outcome is the same.
In order to get the most out of your stress-relieving process you should find a quiet location to spend your color book break. Having fresh air and a quiet environment will make you feel freer and the mental feeling of being smothered will dissipate. If it isn’t possible to escape the current environment to color who says you have to go anywhere? Coloring in a busy environment can work the same as a quiet one. After coloring for a short time everything else seems to fade to the background since the brain is so focused on the task in front of it anyways.
If coloring gets boring there are ways to change it up and leave the mind feeling refreshed. Sometimes repeating a pattern on page can put the mind into a consistent routine. By doing this the mind and muscles start memorizing this pattern and it almost becomes a thoughtless process. Even looking up mandalas or patterns on the internet to trace is a good method of stress relief. Mandalas specifically are the best patterns to work on. This art method was discovered in the 20th century by Carl G. Jung, who was known as the first psychologist to apply coloring as a form of relaxation techniques. At the time using art in psychology seemed pointless, but now it is a revolutionary way of relaxation and stress reduction.
Remember, bringing out your inner kid by coloring is a perfectly acceptable way of stress relief. If you’re at work or in a meeting just sneak in your coloring book and pencils and color away. At least now you’ll have all the facts you need to feed your boss when they yell at you for goofing off and coloring in front of a potential client.
