The Color of Calm
On Facebook recently, I saw a story from a woman who saw a grown man pull out a coloring book and begin coloring in a public place. This happened in a military town where ideas of masculinity and maturity tend to be pretty traditional.
You can probably imagine the ridicule.
Sadly, what followed was an aggressive online conversation about how ‘manliness’ is flying straight out the window. Many people expressed the opinion that coloring should be for children only.
We, on the other hand, know something that those people don’t…and that’s what we want to share with you today. If you believe that coloring is childish and that grown people should never do it, you’ll be surprised to learn what the experts say.
Coloring Isn’t Just for Children!
It makes sense that we associate coloring with childhood since most kids love it, but what you may not know is that you don’t have to put your crayons or markers away just because you’ve gotten older. Psychologists have been using coloring as a strategy to help people learn to relax for years.
One of the very first psychological professionals to use coloring as a technique was Carl Jung. He did so in the late 1900s and it was as revolutionary then as it is now. Coloring uses both sides of the brain and allows the person doing the coloring to be both logical and creative at the same time.
Here’s the theory: by focusing intently on a single thing, people are able to ignore the emotions that are causing them stress and they are also able to abstractly consider whatever it is that they’re feeling without the associated discomfort that those thoughts might bring.
The New Stress-Relieving Bestsellers
Stephen King is getting a run for his money these days, because grown-up coloring books are now bestsellers in Europe and North America. People are finding that when they color, they escape the things that cause anxiety or stress them out. Studies have shown that this is especially helpful for soldiers who might be experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and who may have difficulty managing their emotions.
Anyone who thinks of coloring as just childish behaviour is way off. If you see an adult coloring, remember that they may be managing a great deal of anger or pain and that coloring may help them put their mind on something more productive and helpful to their life and relationships.
Types of Coloring for Stress Relief
It’s one thing to color pictures of people or buildings, but some professionals have found that intricate designs of a spiritual or religious nature are more soothing. For example, people seem to be drawn to coloring the mandala.
A mandala is a complex design that is familiar in Buddhist or Hindu traditions. Mandalas are geometric patterns that people can choose to color according to their own tastes and desires. Research has been done on the phenomenon that time and again people seem to choose the mandala as an object to color.
Art therapists and psychologists often use mandala coloring to help their clients and patients find relief from stress.
Coloring Brings Calm to Your Mind
When you color, you choose colors that please you and you use those colors to bring life to images that you enjoy as well. The repetitive movements of your hand are almost meditative. It’s as if you hypnotize yourself into a more calm, altered state.
If you’re looking for a way to bring a sense of peace to your life, we recommend coloring as a great way to go about it. Our company is dedicated to helping people live their very best lives, and we believe that coloring can be a fun and relaxing part of that.
You may find that it helps you to manage strong emotions, gather your thoughts and also reduce everyday stress or lessen anxieties about traumatic or disturbing events from your past.
Resources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832.html.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/12/13/adult-coloring-books-stress/76916842/
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