Coloring Pages to Help Ease Your Mind
Nowadays, there are so many methods of de-stressing and spending our down time. We have television, smartphones, more nature-based activities such as hiking, jogging, or sightseeing, amongst many others.
The fact of the matter is that there is no right or wrong way to de-stress and relax, as we’re all different and we all have our own hobbies, preferences, and passions! Fortunately, there’s something for everyone, no matter what that may look like. Sometimes, trial and error have to be done to find the right activity for you.
When we go through the list of activities, the thought of tapping into our creative side may be a bit overlooked, especially if we don’t deem ourselves to be artistic by nature. However, journaling, doodling, painting, and coloring are all great activities that don’t require a certain level of talent!
Coloring pages, in particular, are things we may associate with childhood, and we may be deterred from giving it a go by thinking it’s only meant for a younger audience. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Coloring pages have evolved into a larger market for many age groups, adults included! Not only can you find intricate, detailed designs by simply searching on Google, but you can find collections of printed images at your local bookstore.
Coloring is an ideal activity in the sense that it requires little to no thought (besides which color you’re going to pick next!), brings a sense of nostalgia, and only requires drawing materials and a blank image. It also, however, provides many other benefits, specifically mental health benefits!
Mental Health Benefits of Coloring
Coloring not only allows you to get your mind off of things, it is also scientifically shown to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the system in charge of activating your “fight or flight” response (NAMI, 2018). This, in turn, can result in lessened stress and symptoms of anxiety, allowing your body to no longer feel the need to “fight or flee.”
Coloring also shares some common characteristics of meditation, allowing you to focus your attention on the task at hand and “focus on the moment,” which can elicit “a relaxing mindset” (Greenstein, 2016). This may be especially convenient for those who live in a busy household and find it difficult to get some peace and quiet for traditional guided meditations. Find a few minutes to sit down and focus on filling in a section of your coloring image.
Shainna Ali, PhD (2018) discusses the many benefits of coloring, for both adolescents and adults, including the feeling of nostalgia, as well as the many studies that have shown the effects of coloring on mental health and well-being. These include increased creativity, self-efficacy, and positivity (Ali, 2018).
Include Coloring in Your Self-Care!
You can’t go wrong with coloring! While research is ongoing, there is no doubt that coloring has an abundance of benefits, even as little as simply using it as a way to pass time. It’s an ideal activity for all ages and can help enhance creativity and imagination, and it doesn’t hurt that, for us adults, we can take a trip back down memory lane when we used to spend our days coloring in grade school!
Whatever your reason for wanting to color, do so because you like it! And if you haven’t given it a shot, try it for yourself. Bookstores and websites provide individuals with a variety of designs and topics to choose from, so if you have a passion for sea creatures, there is sure to be a coloring page for that!
You can also check out LifeSpring’s coloring pages, where we provide free, downloadable images for your convenience. Simply view our coloring pages here and download and print the one that speaks to you. Be sure to tag us in your finished pages on Instagram at @lifespring_md, and check back regularly for new designs!
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Written By: Madison Hager, Social Media & Digital Marketing Assistant
Photo credit: Javier Gonzalez, Pixabay, and Kaboompics on Pexels
Date of Download: 4/19/2021
References
Ali, S. (2018, March 27). Are Adult Coloring Books Actually Helpful? PsychologyToday. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-mentality/201803/are-adult-coloring-books-actually-helpful
Greenstein, L. (2016, January 22). 7 Ways to Help You De-stress. NAMI. https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/January-2016/7-Ways-to-Help-You-De-stress
NAMI. (2018, August 18). Research shows that drawing and coloring helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system and calm the fight or flight response [Link attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NAMI/posts/research-shows-that-drawing-and-coloring-helps-activate-the-parasympathetic-nerv/10157502015262316/
