The first time I encountered the new trend of adult coloring books was at my family's thanksgiving get-together this past year. One of my family members had brought along her coloring book and colored pencils for the rest of us to try. While flipping through its pages, I was amazed at all of the intricate and beautiful patterns that were seemingly just waiting to be filled in. For the next few hours, my cousins and I spent time chatting and completing the pages that we had chosen.

Adult coloring books have risen to vast popularity over the last few years, and for good reason. In reviewing Amazon's top 15 best-selling books of 2015, five of them consisted of these coloring books. But why have they achieved so much success? According to psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, this type of outlet allows both those who consider themselves to be artistic and those who do not "a way to flex their creativity."

Although art therapy has been around for many years, and this modified form has garnered an extremely high interest as it has been integrated into people's everyday lives. Art therapy, as defined by the American Art Therapy Association, is a way for the creative processes involved in making art to be used to "explore feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem." In short, making art can do wonders for mental health.

However, art therapy and coloring cannot be seen as one in the same because traditional art therapy requires a therapist to be present, says certified art therapist Maygrace Berberian. However, she states that "coloring definitely has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus, or bring about more mindfulness." Coloring allows us to focus our attention on a singular activity while disregarding the other affairs that may be going on in our lives, similar to meditation. It can also be less daunting to have lines and shapes provided as opposed to a blank slate, creating the chance to be artistic to virtually everyone.

Sounds awesome, right? You can find adult coloring books at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and just about every crafting store, such as Michael's or Hobby Lobby. Prices vary, but generally stay in the range of $10-$15, perfect for any college student who is seeking stress relief.