Between schoolwork, living in a sorority house with 70 plus other people, and other on-campus involvements, I have found myself without any form of relaxation in my life. No matter what I do, I am surrounded by many other people with a lot of chaos and noise. One night hanging out, my friend was excited to show me her newest toy. I had no idea what it could be, and I was definitely not expecting it to be a coloring book. At first, I was not amused. After she opened it up, though, it definitely caught my attention.
Weeks had gone by and I still found myself stressed, until one day, I stumbled upon a coloring book similar to my friend's. I decided to treat myself and buy the book. I ran to Target to pick up a pack of markers, and I was on my way. Little did I know then that the book would surely lower my stress level and change me as a person.
The following week I gave myself many study breaks, but instead of watching Netflix or hanging out with friends like I normally do, I blasted my favorite Spotify playlist in my room alone, and just colored. I didn’t even realize almost three hours had passed until my roommate came in and asked if I was still coloring. I was amazed by my extensive attention span for my book and that I didn’t even touch my phone once while I was working on coloring in an elephant. It was as if I completely zoned out of reality for a solid three hours, and it was awesome. Not one moment when I was coloring did I find myself worrying about upcoming tests, what my friends were doing at that moment, or what I was going to wear to go out that night. I was one hundred percent stress free.
As the week progressed, my friends kept asking, “Don’t you have work to do?” To which the answer was always no, I finished my work early on in the week, because I knew I wanted to spend my time coloring. My coloring book motivated me to finish my work early in the week so I could spend my time relaxing and enjoying myself.
Many people started to notice how much time I was spending with my “Magical Kingdom” coloring book and decided to invest in one themselves. Everyone I know who has started coloring has given me nothing but positive feedback. These coloring books are optimistically affecting lives, one doodle at a time.
One friend has even told me that she gave a coloring book as a gift to a friend of hers who was in mourning. The coloring book was exactly what she needed; it was relaxing and took her mind of everything going on. She thanked my friend for the book and told her that it was so helpful and meaningful.
While coloring may seem quite pre-school-esque, I would definitely argue it’s an activity for all ages. Since I have started coloring, I have managed my time more wisely, been more relaxed, and have valued my free time more. If you’re feeling overwhelmed like I’m sure you are if you’re a busy college student, my only suggestion for now is to go out and by a coloring book! It’s the most relaxing, fulfilling activity that even gets you some cool room décor.
