Coloring books aren’t just for kids. Adult coloring books have grown in popularity. Whether you already have a coloring book or are thinking about getting one, there are quite a few benefits to coloring.
1. Coloring Relaxes Your Brain and Improves Brain Function
It relaxes your brain and keeps your mind busy. When you’re coloring, you’re focused on the simple activity of coloring. This relaxes your mind and keeps your thoughts from intruding.
Coloring can also improve your brain’s ability to function. When you’re coloring, different parts of your brain’s cerebral hemispheres are activated. While you choose what colors to use, your creativity is activated. When you color forms and shapes, your logic is activated.
2. Coloring Induces a Meditative State
It doesn’t replace art therapy, but it can be therapeutic for some people. Coloring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind.
Focusing on a singular action like coloring suspends your inner dialogue and removes negative thoughts and emotions from your mind – great for depression or bipolar!
3. It Improves Your Motor Skills
Colors requires the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate. While logic helps us stay inside the lines, choosing colors generates a creative thought process.
More complex designs with smaller spaces for coloring require you to hone your hand-eye coordination and motor skills. You don’t use these skills when scrolling on your electronics.
4. Coloring Improves Sleep
We know we get a better night’s sleep when we avoiding engaging with electronics at night. Exposure to the emitted light reduces your levels of the sleep hormone, melatonin.
By coloring in a book before bed instead, you’re keeping electronics out of the bedroom. This allows your melatonin level to release naturally as your body gets ready for sleep.
5. It Improves Your Focus
Coloring activates your frontal lobe, which means that your brain is organizing and problem-solving. This allows you to put everything else aside and live in the moment, generating focus.
Coloring requires you to focus, but not so much that it’s stressful.
6. Coloring Reduces Anxiety
Studies have shown that coloring can reduce anxiety in adults. Coloring for 20 minutes or more is an effective way to lower your heart rate and decrease feelings of anxiety.
Studies have found that coloring more intricate designs like mandalas was more effective than coloring in a plaid pattern or blank page.
7. It Relieves Stress
The stress relief from coloring helps reduce stress you’re feeling. When you relieve stress and tension from your body, you may decrease your risk of:
- Body aches
- Sleeping problems
- Depression
Coloring isn’t going to cure your anxiety or depression, but it can reduce the levels of anxiety and stress that can lead to depression.
Grab a Free Coloring Page and then join the Monthly Coloring Club for Only $7/month. You get 30 Coloring Pages to Print out at Home every month.
Have a look at our popular coloring books