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Once seen as a childhood pastime, coloring has emerged as a favorite hobby for adults. Unlike children’s coloring books that are designed to improve fine motor and spatial skills, adult coloring books focus on health and wellness.

A person flips to a page in an adult coloring book and begins to color on the page with a brown pencil crayon

With the numerous health benefits of coloring for adults, take note of some of the changes you'll experience over time as you pull out your colored pencils, pens, and markers to color.

Stress Less ☺

A burst of colors: red, yellow, green blue, and purple

Coloring helps your brain alleviate stress and anxiety.

It relaxes the amygdala (the area of your brain that controls your emotions and motivation) and eases your mind into a meditative state.

This reduces negative thoughts, which quiets the mind and allows you to concentrate solely on picking and filling in patterns with colors.

Did you know?

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung [1875-1961] prescribed coloring to his patients to calm and center their minds (Ingle, 2015, Fox News).

Sleep More Soundly πŸ’€

A person, filling in patterns of a Mandala with an orange pencil crayon

Coloring helps you to settle for a restful sleep.

As you color intricate patterns like mandalas, it stimulates the release of melatonin, a hormone that prompts your mind to get adequate rest and regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Β 

Did you know?

Mandalas are circular, geometric patterns found in many adult coloring books.

Calmer Connections With Others πŸ’™

Coloring has evolved into a social group activity.

Many adults host "Sip n’ Color" get-togethers! When you combine coloring with socialization, it benefits your mind and body in the following ways:

  • Increased feelings of happiness as you spend quality time with friends

  • Increased self-esteem

  • Reduced social anxiety as you interact with new people through a familiar activity

Fortified Focus And Creativity πŸ–Ό

Coloring improves your focus and sparks creativity.

It stimulates the frontal lobe of the brain β€” the area responsible for organization and problem-solving β€” to plan color combinations and stay within the lines of an image as you color.

This trains your brain to better focus on tasks in your daily life and come up with creative ideas as your mind is in a calm state.

An added bonus? You can decorate your home with your new art pieces!

11 colored pencil crayons, stacked on an incline

Create A Coloring Corner πŸ–

Set up a coloring station in your home that has all the coloring materials you need: coloring book(s)/pages and colored pencils, pens, and markers.

An example of a coloring station, with pencil crayons and coloring pages

Coloring Books/Pages

Popular coloring themes to start with:

  • Mandalas

  • Inspirational phrases

  • Flora and fauna

Pencil Crayons, Pens, and Markers

Coloring utensils to add to your kit:

  • Twistable pencil crayons

  • Gel pens

  • Fineliner markers

Quiz

Julian is thinking about setting up a coloring corner at home to motivate him to take mental breaks throughout the day. Where is the best place for him to set it up?

Take Action

Color yourself to a healthier you!

Jeremy holds up a picture of colored page and says 'Now I'm feeling pretty relaxed... thanks to this adult coloring book'

License:

This Byte has been authored by

SH

Stephanie Hare

UX Writer & Content Designer; Edu. Producer

M.S.Ed

This Byte has been reviewed by

LD

Lana Do

MD, MPH, BCMAS

English

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