How does adult colouring work?
The activity requires an adult colouring book, markers & colouring pencils. You will easily find an adult colouring book online or in a local bookstore. Depending on your preferences, you can get colouring books featuring a variety of objects like butterflies, flowers and more. In some countries like the UK, they even have colouring books based on famous celebrities.
Adult colouring is different from Art Therapy: Art therapy is defined as the process of creating art for a range of therapeutic benefits, such as resolving emotional conflicts, improving self-awareness, helping deal with addiction, etc. While adult colouring books also provide similar benefits, a key difference between adult colouring books and art therapy is that the latter involves a therapist. On the other hand, you can enjoy adult colouring books either on your own or in a group, but without a dedicated therapist.
Benefits of Adult Colouring Books
Reduce anxiety: Studies have shown that colouring helps in reducing anxiety. For example, research has shown that when adults were given an activity of colouring mandalas (a circular figure associated with spirituality), they witnessed a major drop in anxiety levels. Not surprisingly, the book “Refreshing Mandala” features among the bestsellers at one of India’s leading online book stores.
Improve focus and concentration: Spending time on colouring books can help a great deal in improving focus and concentration. Some people have even likened adult colouring to meditation, because it helps the brain to shut off all distractions and enables to focus on the present moment. Some others compare the activity to yoga. Before starting a session of yoga, you’re tight; but once you take on the different poses and go through the motion, you feel very relaxed. Adult colouring books create a similar effect.
Help cope up with emotional issues: For people who are very guarded and have a lot going on in their head, colouring books can be a big relief. In fact, colouring features among the 52 stress reducers that are recommended officially by the American Lung Association. Apart from stress, adult colouring is also considered beneficial for coping up with other emotional issues like eating disorders, anger issues, or substance abuse. All the attention paid on colouring book turns out to be a welcome distraction from negative habits or emotions.
Relax Amygdala: Adult colouring books have shown to relax amygdala, the fear center of the brain, which keeps people in a state of worry or panic. Carl Jung, a famous Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of analytical psychology, prescribed colouring to his adult patients, more than 100 years ago, for its relaxation benefits. As the mind is concentrated and focused on a single place, in this case the colouring book, the amygdala gets some rest, thereby resulting in calming of the mind.
No expertise or special talent needed: One doesn’t have to be a painter or a highly creative person to enjoy the benefits of adult colouring. All you need is a good adult colouring book of your choice and you can start colouring the way you want to. You can choose any colours of your choice and you don’t have to worry about staying within fixed boundaries. This way you can be yourself and not be conscious of others.
Help improve social skills: With the increasing popularity of adult colouring books, an erstwhile solo activity is now conducted in groups as well. In western countries, colouring parties, involving wine and socialising, are a common phenomenon. Typically, in such events, people are disconnected from their phones and just focus on the enjoyable act of colouring. Along similar lines, colouring books can also be used by organisations as a teambuilding activity.
Provide decoration for free: For highly creative people, it is very common to create their own decorative items. But for the average people, who find it difficult to create their own decorative pieces, adult colouring books can be a big respite. A typical adult colouring book offers at least 25 designs. Once you’re done colouring the entire book, you can choose the designs you’re proud of and use them as wall décor or for creating decoupage figures.
Improve problem solving skills: Working on colouring books involves both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Activities like choosing the colour or applying colour on the paper involve logic, thereby helping develop problem solving skills. The frontal lobes of our brains, which are responsible for problem solving and organisation skills, get activated during colouring. For this reason alone, apart from its use as a therapeutic exercise, adult colouring can also be used for developing skills of employees by organizations.
Encourage happy memories: Colouring help bring nostalgia of childhood days. This was a time when there were no responsibilities and colouring was a simple activity that was enjoyed for the sheer fun associated with it. Adult colouring books can give a similar joy where you can have uninhibited fun, setting aside all your worries.
Conclusion
As you can see, adult colouring books offer tremendous amount of benefits. So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy, invite friends and family and have a fun colouring session that will relieve you of all your stress.