Coloring books are the perfect meditation activity for adults – yes, you read that correctly. Not only are they fun for all ages, but the activity itself is very affordable. All you need to purchase is a coloring book and your choice of crayons, markers, or colored pencils to get started. By coloring regularly, you can more easily discover your inner artist, all while relieving stress from your everyday life. Here are three more benefits to coloring as an adult, listed below.
Looking at color may reduce pain and anxiety.
Ever heard of art therapy? At its core, art therapy is therapy rooted in the healing powers of art, color, and other aesthetics. Art therapy might sound ineffective, but according to one study, researchers found that participating in art therapy for an average of 50 minutes significantly improved hospital patients’ moods and lowered levels of pain and anxiety.
Coloring can calm your busy or overworked mind.
Coloring requires basic, repetitive motions, which makes it great for stress relief. Why? Well, these motions engage parts of the cerebral cortex while relaxing the amygdala, the brain's fear center. Not to mention, coloring can urge your mind to shift its focus from daily stressors to more in-the-moment observations, like what the crayon feels like between your fingers.
Coloring can inspire you in many ways.
As a child, you enjoyed plenty of open-ended, unstructured playtime. As an adult, these opportunities are fewer and further between. Coloring can fill that void by engaging your mind while giving it plenty of space to wander. According to experts, it’s in these moments of unstructured engagement that many new ideas pop up. Pick up coloring at home, and you may find that it leads to a stroke of genius!
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