Do you reflect on spending hours coloring as a past-time aimed more towards childhood, think again! There are many health benefits of coloring for adults. We’ve all strolled past one of those trendy adult coloring books, since spreading nationwide. Many are even popping up on the bestsellers list. So let’s pull out our colored pencils and dive into this health topic!
Improved Slumber Hours/ Limit Stress & Anxiety
We see it everywhere now, Amazon, your local grocery store, even Instagram is getting a piece of this stress reducing pie. Coloring is more than just an activity centered on relaxing and more of an exercise that activates the two hemispheres of our brain to communicate. We are channeling our logic to stay in those lines and not falter and selecting which colors we want to explore the picture with more. This generates creative thought processes.
As we mentioned above coloring is an excellent way to relax. It is a considerable replacement amid the winter months for taking a break from tech devices (cell phone, tablet, etc). When we color, instead of zoning in on our tech savvy devices, we then are enhancing the amygdala, which is the center of our brain. It essentially has a nature of putting us in a meditating aftermath by limiting our restless mind. This in turn allows our minds to populate more quietness, circumspection and mindfulness, after a lengthy day at the office.
Enhance Focus Levels
Coloring is a great way to focus on an activity without the outward stressors. It allows our frontal lobe to open up which controls our problem solving circuit and organizational skills. There is clear evidence in studies that show even 10 mins per day can spur creativity and improve our levels of focus. High-profile businesses are even jumping on the coloring trend for high stress relief.
Coloring the New Meditation?
When meditating your brain enters a relaxed state by intensifying the present and blocking out the restless mind. As a result of this, you reach a level of calmness and this allows your brain to take a step away from daily stressors. An article shared by Medical Daily recently plunged into the idea that adult coloring evokes a more relaxed mindset, similar to that of meditation. Three key elements that make this work for meditation is pattern, repetition and attention to detail. These three elements cause our brains to relax, making it easy to predict what will happen next. This is called a calming effect.