What do you think about coloring books?
Some may feel that coloring is a past-time of the youth. For others, it perhaps evokes a quietly kept childhood memory, when the world was colored more simply and vibrantly, and when we had yet to know about the stress and anxiety of adult life. Coloring books were a part of most of our childhoods, yet now in our adulthood, we have replaced this youthful part of us with lists of never-ending tasks and appointments.
The truth is, coloring is not just for children. There are just so many benefits that coloring books bring, that it would be a shame to leave it as a mere memory of the past. Here are just a few of them, to say the least:
Mental Health
Coloring is known to be a great alternative to meditation, while bringing the same benefits as meditation, like alleviating anxiety and increasing focus. In fact, groundbreaking research in 2011 showed how anxiety levels dropped when individuals colored mandalas (geometric configuration of symbols), emphasising how colouring in structured shapes induce a meditative state, allowing the mind to drown out the sea of thoughts and things to do and giving space for us to refocus on the present.
Expressing oneself
Some of us are not the most sociable people out there. Unlike our extroverted counterparts, it might be harder to openly voice out our opinions, much less our feelings and emotions and we need more time to ourselves so that we may recharge after a long day interacting with different people. For those of us who find it hard to express ourselves with words, coloring is a wonderful way to pen down our thoughts. Using colors as our vocabulary, there is a limitless amount of ways to show how you are feeling. For example, if you are having a good day, you might be inclined to use yellow, orange and red while you might use black or blue-toned colors to evoke the feeling of sadness. Additionally, it helps to relieve any negative lingering feelings one might have held onto during the day.
Communication and bonding
Coloring is a universal activity that transcends language, age and the physical body. Whether you have been busy at work and have not had the time to interact with your young ones at home or feel like you are at a roadblock with interacting with someone, engaging in the simple activity of coloring can help foster better bonds. It acts as a fun, bonding activity that simultaneously helps us to understand the other party’s thoughts or mood better.
With a plethora of benefits and the rising prominence of adult coloring books, coloring has become an accessible activity. In fact, August Berg’s co-founder, Anne Trads Juel Sauerberg, has created a downloadable coloring book for anyone who is inspired by this article to start on coloring, available here .
With nine designs featuring beautiful geometric designs and uplifting quotes, it is the perfect kit for any occasion!
Downloaded a copy of the coloring book? Do show us your colored pages by tagging us @augustbergoffical!
