Being in college can be a stressful experience. With the layers of responsibilities students have, they can find themselves so wound up that doing anything traditionally relaxing, like meditation or yoga, can be a feat in itself. Silencing oneself enough to reach a meditative state may be difficult when you are thinking of ideas for that paper due at the end of the week or how you are going to pay your utility bill. Because of this, some students have reconnected with a timeless activity to silence the anxiety in their head and enter a relaxing state.

Everyone is familiar with coloring. It was a staple way to pass the time when we all were children and it was one of the few fun things we got to do at school. However, kindergarteners are not the only ones who color anymore! When coloring as an adult, daily stresses seem to flee your mind as your hand uses repetitive, easy strokes to fill the page with vibrant colors that unconsciously reflect how you are feeling. This nostalgic activity can also help you express your inner creativity in a simple way. Coloring allows you to focus your mind’s energy into one task without any pressure or deviation. Psychologists have been using coloring as a method to help find what is truly going on in the human psyche.

Coloring is also a great way for students to get away from the technological world that is constantly bombarding their lives. Now even classes require that we bring a laptop or other device to some meetings. When students color, they can finally put down the phone and focus their mind on something tangible. Many students at Radford color while watching their favorite shows on Netflix, or with their friends around the dining room table while talking about the day's events. There are many adult coloring books for sale on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Adults can color peace mandalas to 1950s comic book covers.

So if you find yourself being stressed out this year, try coloring and see if it relaxes you as much as it used to!