When's the last time that you sat down, pulled out your crayons or colored pencils, and opened up your favorite coloring book? Unless you babysit young kids or work with young kids, it was probably when that favorite coloring book was filled with scenes from The Lion King. But for me, it was actually last weekend.
Now, hold on – why would an adult be coloring, you ask?
For me, it's both an anxiety-reducing strategy and a fun way to zone out. I bought my adult coloring book from Walmart one day as I was walking past the arts and crafts section towards the electronics, I saw shelves of these coloring books out the corner of my eye and stopped in my tracks. I'd heard about these coloring books before, and I'd even seen some really (expensive) cool-looking ones in a bookstore. I backed up and flipped through the pages of one of the coloring books, marveling at the beautiful images of animals and plants inside. These weren't the Disney coloring books that I remembered from childhood – these were aesthetically-pleasing, intricate designs with geometric shapes that I knew I would enjoy even for the sheer opportunity of creativity, if not for the calming effect that it claimed to have.
I've now filled two pages and started a third, and I can tell you that it is indeed calming. What I do is take out my colored pencils, pop on some headphones, and put on music or a podcast to listen to while I zone out and color. This allows me to shut out anything else and forget about anything that's worrying me at the moment. That presentation that's coming up in a week, that job interview, the class that's particularly stressful, or the relationship that's bothering you – they all slowly drift away from your mind as it gets lost in the repetitive motions of coloring.
It also allows me to exert some kind of control while not having to stress out about anything serious. I have a page filled with shapes waiting for me to color them any way I want to. I've noticed that I often create motifs in my coloring. A certain shape would be red in every instance it's on the page. Certain leaves would all be dark green with brown in their stems. I think it was a way for me to feel like I had some kind of control, which is nice because my anxiety often makes me feel as if I don't have control over other aspects of my life.
It's also something to do when you don't have the motivation to do much else. If picking up a book or starting a new TV show feels daunting, as if you can't give it the commitment it needs, coloring is an option that doesn't require much effort on your part.
Coloring, while not exactly art therapy, has been proven to have similar effects as art therapy and even meditation. A study done by Lake Superior State University showed that college students experienced a greater reduction in stress and depression when coloring pre-drawn patterns, as opposed to free-drawing on blank paper.
The famous psychologist Carl Jung employed coloring as a relaxation technique in the 20th century, so this phenomenon isn't exactly new, but it has gained traction with adults recently. More and more adults are opting for the activity that hearkens back to our childhoods, while also de-stressing our adult minds.
I would recommend this to any college student or any adult, for that matter. There are plenty of adult coloring books to choose from, as publishers are printing more to keep up with the increasing demand. Look for the patterns that will suit you, find your old Crayolas, and get ready to enjoy some well-deserved peace of mind.
