Colouring for a Healthy Mind

Have you heard of the latest craze - adult colouring! News outlets, articles and even store displays have been featuring nothing but colouring books! I have definitely been sucked into this craze. My colouring obsession started last summer when I purchased a $10 mandala book. I haven't hit the brakes on this one yet! I love colouring - I can't stop! I love choosing a new design, picking the colours, using different colouring materials and seeing the finished product. There's just something about fulfilling your inner creativity once you've completed a full picture that brings a sense of calmness and tranquility.

Speaking of which, there has been a lot of talk about how colouring is beneficial to the mind and soul. I'm not sure if there is any concrete stats or research complete on just how much colouring is beneficial to the human body and mind, but just Google 'adult colouring' and you will be sure to get a few results on the benefits of adult colouring. While I don't have solid evidence either on how beneficial colouring can be (I'm not a researcher!), I can definitely see how it affects my mind and body in a positive way.

Many of us work standard, routine jobs. There are very few of us that have a job completely dedicated to creativity. We get home and tasks generally are routine as well. It's not long before we feel the need to get the creative juices flowing. Colouring is a great activity for that! It's a creative outlet that allows you to express yourself through colour, pictures, patterns and doodles. Practicing in one creative outlet leads to fresh and new ideas. This affects spills over to almost every aspect of your life: work and personal.

We spend so much of our time consumed by technology and media that our minds all need a much deserved break at the end of a long day. Colouring allows for this. It allows for your mind to be focused on doing a simple and easy task. Instead of picking up your tablet and phone before going to bed, why not try colouring for a few minutes? It could probably make for better sleep as well.

The act of colouring can be really relaxing and can bring about a meditative state of mind. Being relaxed is very important to your overall health and how you feel as a person. I can't imagine how being stressed all the time would feel as well as all of the side effects to go along with it. Next time you're stressed, instead of pouring yourself a glass of wine, why not spend a few minutes colouring?

Colouring can also help when we're going through something difficult. I talk about stress in the point above but maybe you're going through a difficult situation like a loss or maybe you've just hit a wall. Colouring can take our minds off of the situation/difficulty at hand (just for a little bit) to re-focus our minds. It can be a great way to cope. I've read many articles where individuals are using colouring to overcome or deal with a difficult situation in their lives.

(The finished picture is on my Instagram!)

Being an adult can be difficult and sometimes all we want to do is revisit our childhood. Colouring is a great way to do so! I think it has become so popular because it brings individuals back to their childhood. Not only is it a flashback to the past but it's a way to fulfill that inner child in all of us. I think at some point every adult experiences this yearning at least once in their life and colouring can be a great way to address it! As much as we all have responsibility and lives to lead, it's important to 'play' as well.

Well there you have it -  my opinions on colouring and how/why you can colour yourself to a healthy mind. Let me know if you're interested in having me share my finished colouring pages.

Do you colour? What have you coloured so far? And why do you like colouring?

~Usha