The Power of Coloring: A Simple Tool for Serious Self-Care

Staying In The Lines
Coloring books, a longtime staple of childhood, have gained tremendous traction in the adult population in recent years. This is due to the numerous benefits that coloring offers for the physical and mental health of its practitioners, in conjunction with the simple pleasure of coloring itself.

The world of adult coloring closely resembles that of children’s but usually enlists more complex and detailed imagery such as mandala patterns or intricate designs, or perhaps artful flowers and animals as the scenery to be filled with the user’s color palette choices.

Studies have shown that the act of coloring-in scenes provides numerous benefits for adults, providing a hands-on, proactive method to help take control of your own wellbeing and self-care. The simple act of coloring can tick off multiple boxes in the self-care laundry list, at once providing reduced negative symptoms and elevating positive states.

Beyond Shades Of Gray
Adult coloring offers a way to engage the mind in an activity that forces one to focus directly on the task. By being obvious in its directive and goal, coloring places the mind squarely in the moment and gives rise to attention to actualized results from actions. By utilizing several mechanisms within the brain, a participant can feel more in control of their immediate situation.

The mental health benefits from coloring stem from this multi-pronged brain utilization, helping to enact buzzword topics such as mindfulness. Mindfulness is a heightened state of situational awareness and is a common goal for addressing more positive mental health outcomes. Coloring has been shown to bring about more mindfulness in its participants by requiring focus and a simple, task-based directive, literally at hand.

The breath follows suit, steadying and smoothing to a calmer and more balanced exchange. Increased mindfulness gives way to a reduction of anxiety and stress-based symptoms, providing a bona fide means toward feelings of relief from life's more stress inducing encounters. The steadied breath calms and relaxes the body, furthering the self-care benefits.

Brain Positive Activity
The brain is an organ of compartments, where it separates into manageable sections the tasks of living a human life, orchestrated in a grand symphysis of consciousness. The areas of the brain that are required for the delicate process of coloring-in elaborate designs are the same centers that can affect mood and wellbeing.

By engaging these centers of the brain, with focus and purpose, we can steer our perception and sense of reality towards one brimming with satisfaction and pleasure within the moment. This is the true cause for the benefits, the ability to derive a sense of wellness and accomplishment within a non-threatening and extremely low risk setting.

Free Your Mind, The Rest Follows
The positive effects on the brain through coloring are compounded to create a beneficial scenario for the whole body. With the reduction of stress and a rise in positive mood, the body relaxes and reduces blood pressure.

Blood pressure is a highly ubiquitous indicator of systemic health, and by keeping it at bay we give relief to the whole circulatory system, including the heart. When blood pressure is well-balanced our bodies can perform at an optimal efficiency and not cause undue stress on vital systems.

Aside from aiding nuts-and-bolts health of the brain and body, adult coloring books can improve dexterity and hand-eye coordination, adding to the overall sense of satisfaction and improvement, and helping to maintain proper functions as we age.

While the here-and-now benefits are many and compounding, coloring also lends a hand to sleep. The relaxation and stress-reducing tendencies of coloring help us get more and higher quality sleep, providing a totality of self-care on many fronts.

Work Of Art
On the surface, the act of coloring-in otherwise blank spaces of pre-set designs may not seem like the trove of self-care treasures that it is. It is such a simple and seemingly mundane task that it would be easy to discount it at face value. But the studies and the reports from participants demonstrate that coloring for adults is more than a worthwhile endeavor on the path of self-care.

While fancy books of complex designs and artistry awaiting your personal colorized touch abound, there are also myriad coloring designs available for free online, to download or print. And while most participants choose real world, classic mediums, such as colored pencils and paper, there are also many digital options with e-readers and tablets. Allow yourself to float away with the gentle ease of being fully engaged in coloring, you might not want to stop.