Are you stressed and overwhelmed? Whether it is work, school, or personal struggles, the answer to your tension may be coloring. Yes, you heard that right. The soothing, calming, and meditative effects of coloring can reveal a clearer state of mind. Before you laugh at the image of an adult with a coloring book of Winnie the Pooh, give it a try. Don't knock it until you try it.

The repetitive motion of coloring contributes to the relaxation. Coloring is not an activity that requires intense focus or much planning. After a while, you don't have to think about it anymore and your mind is allowed to relax. In an article published by Fox News, psychiatrist Dr. Ben Michealis explains how coloring is calming. He explains that your amygdala, "the part of the brain that is involved with our fear response," can rest when you are coloring. Whether you do it after a stressful day of work or after an argument, coloring provides a healthy way to slow down and reflect.

Cocktails and coloring, similar to wine and painting parties, provide a great way to spend time with friends, unwind, and enjoy yourselves. Coloring is similar to yoga in the sense that you begin tense and leave feeling relaxed.

It is not merely the act of coloring that is relaxing, but the entire experience allows you to be creative. You can use calming blues and greens, or bright oranges, blues, and pinks depending on your mood. The entire experience of coloring is an expression of yourself and it can let out a lot of the stress that people bottle up. Even the sound of a colored pencil moving back and forth is calming.

Mandalas are popular coloring patterns for all ages and are believed to have healing powers. A mandala is a circular shape with no beginning or end. It radiates out from a center, a sacred center that represents "a point from which all things are possible." Mandalas are found throughout nature, being as simple the sun in the sky or as complex as the center of a sunflower. They have ancient roots and still exist today for their spirituality. Mandalas "symbolize harmony, unity, wholeness, and healing."

Mandala coloring sheets are available on Apple's App store, Pinterest, and even sites like The Country Chic Cottage.

Coloring doesn't require you to be an artist or even especially creative. You don't even have to stay within the lines! So, why not? Give it a try and see what comes of it. It may reveal a more centered and calm you.