Coloring Away Stress: A New Way To Relax
We can turn off our brain, disconnect or relax while painting. Coloring helps us escape from this world, to stimulate our creativity, to connect with ourselves and to give free rein to our imagination. Which is why we present you with a new trend: stress coloring.
According to researchers, when we focus on painting, we begin with hand-eye coordination, which causes us to activate certain brain areas that favor the inhibition of the limbic system (our emotional sentinel), so we are liberated from concerns and anxiety.
Somehow we recover our internal order, we manipulate ourselves and bring order to our thoughts, as we dive into a task that slowly catches us and we find it fun and rewarding.
The power of coloring books for adults to reduce stress
But how does this activity act in our brain and what makes it powerful enough to relax our body and mind? Let’s see below:
We disconnect the brain
Not in a literal sense of course. But through coloring we are focused on combining our logical part with our creative side, in such a way that we ease the intensity with which we focus our thoughts and emotions.
Finding colors that interest us makes us activate brain areas involved in vision and fine motor skills, making the activity of the amygdala recess and provide greater stability to our emotions.
We unleash creativity
When we get lost for a few hours in an activity we enjoy it helps us to unleash our creativity.
There are also many themes ranging from mandalas, to animals, forests and other kinds of drawings. Even just slightly diving into this world is enough for you to find what you most enjoy.
We carry out an activity for pure pleasure
It may seem silly but we should stop and think about how many things we do in our daily lives for pleasure. Moreover, we should question what we do throughout our lives in order to enjoy.
Quickly and easily finding a place to meet with ourselves…and others
We have a good excuse to sit down to color and dedicate ourselves to ourselves, to discover our concerns and make new friends. That is, coloring invites us to contact our inner and outer world.
Groups and pages have spread on Facebook that connect adult colorists, turning them into motivational sites that promote relaxation and well-being. If you are interested, we invite you to investigate this further.
The best-sellers that will help color away stress
Although today there are a number of books that help us destress in our daily lives in a way that is providing to be just as effective as meditation, there are some that are “breaking statistics” and standing as powerful bestsellers.
This is the case of “The Secret Garden” by Scottish artist, Johanna Basford, which has become a real international success and has been translated into more than 14 languages. Her drawings are done by hand and include coloring things like animals, forests and flowers. Another much-loved book by this author is entitled “The Enchanted Forest“.
According to statements made by Johanna herself, she was inspired to create this book by visits she made during her childhood to her grandparents, who lived in an environment of wild and unpredictable forests.
Through her drawings, we can gradually explore different coloring techniques, coloring each detail patiently and creating numerous nuances that give vividness to the effort and calm our thoughts.
As seen in the previous picture, the book includes drawings that range from small details to the tiniest, almost magical details. The idea is that we as adults get into the habit of taking our time and working patiently.
Another well known book in the world of coloring is “Mandalas y otros dibujos budistas para colorear” (Mandalas and Other Buddhist Drawings For Coloring). In the same vein, this book gathers numerous images of mandalas and patterns with Buddhist motifs to nourish our colorful mind.
This new anti-stress trend is at our fingertips, and we have the opportunity to reduce anxiety and promote a calming, healthy effect…if only we give it a try!
Another one of the most well-known authors of this trend is Richard Merritt, who also offers many very nice options like “Art Therapy Colouring Book.” As you see in the picture shown below, these books are a real beauty.
As the final option of the most well known books, we present to you “The Mindfulness Coloring Book” by the illustrator Emma Farrarons. Its beautiful illustrations invite us to meditate consciously, filling its pages with color and our mind with calm and peace.
With just a simple search on the internet, you will get an idea of the success of these coloring books. Moreover, you have the possibility of finding a printable sketch if you want to try the technique.
We encourage you to make this beautiful work a wonderful habit for your mind and a meeting place for your inner world. Remember that you have a good excuse to color when you do not want to think about anything and need to turn your brain off.
Let’s bring back our crayons, markers and erasers!!