Coloring: everyone is doing it nowadays. It is considered great for mental health, creativity, and is grounded in relieving stress and meditation. Adult coloring books are becoming one of the fastest products sold, nationally. And all that is needed is a box of crayons, coloring pencils, markers -- whatever suits the fancy of the artist. Personally, I enjoy coloring free coloring pages that can be found online and I my method of choice is colored pencils. But what I didn't know about coloring is that not only is it great as a social activity, but is also a very intimate activity.

It fine tunes motor skills and causes the brain to focus. I am a firm supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project which recently organized veterans who suffer from PTSD in Williamsburg, Virginia to partake in adult coloring sessions on February 12. They support coloring! If they support coloring, we should all support adult coloring! Something that a child can do, that now a adult should do! Isn't that astounding?

Our deepest childhood desire has finally come true. Forbes Magazine even went on to comment on the adult coloring craze because it is so beneficial! That article can be found on their website titled, "The Adult Coloring Craze Continues And There is No End in Sight," by Kate Harrison. This article touches on how popular this trend really is and how everyone should do it. I couldn't agree with them more, especially at certain times in life like college life. There are certain periods in our lives where stress seems to be at an all time high 90 percent of the time -- buying a house, having a kid, getting a new job, and.... college.

Being a student, stress relief and mental health are something that get thrown to the wayside quite a bit. But recently, I've been super into coloring, especially animals and complicated mandalas (intricate circles, triangles, and shapes in one picture). In high school, my art teachers would give us coloring pages as the "ice-breaker" for the class. I swear it was a test to judge right off the bat if I colored outside the lines and that would determine the end grade for the class. However, just like with life, sometimes staying within the lines (or paths) may be difficult, or sometimes even a deterrent. Because of this realization, I learned that sometimes standing on the outside of the lines makes it a lot easier to see inside the lines and put the best color where it needs to go in order to make the best and fullest picture.

I definitely recommend coloring because not only is it great for everyone, but it is fantastic for anyone who has some social or personal issues they need to deal with like creativity block, anxiety, depression, or even just for the sole purpose of blowing off some steam. Plus, life is prettier in color than black and white, or sepia or gray, no matter what your Instagram filters show you.