3 Benefits of Coloring for Mental Health
In a world that spins at full tilt, finding a way to step off the hustle treadmill and restore a semblance of calm is a quest we all share. Enter a throwback activity that has unexpectedly regained popularity—even amongst those who’ve graduated from the kiddie table of life. Yes, we’re talking about coloring.
But before you label it as just another passing adulting craze, consider that coloring can be more than simply an arts-and-craftsy hobby. Here’s a detailed look at why spending time coloring may just be one of the most underrated acts of self-care.
1. Stress Reduction
Stress sticks to us like static-cling and accumulates over time, turning into that coiled spring in the pit of our stomachs. The beauty of coloring is its ability to distract the brain from its usual maelstrom of worries. Here’s the science simplified: when we color, our amygdala, the fear center of your brain, is less active. Neurotransmitters like dopamine (the ‘feel-good’ hormone) and endorphins (the pain-relieving ones) are released, bringing a subtle sense of comfort and happiness.
Metaphorically speaking, coloring with these Procreate coloring pages is like pulling an exit ramp off the anxiety highway onto a calming back road. It’s a stop that’s sure to be restorative without the usual jam-up of the brain’s usual stress traffic.
2. Mindfulness and Relaxation
Like meditation, coloring demands that you focus intently on the present, on the color you’re choosing and the space you’re filling, almost to the point of exclusivity. It’s a soothing invitation for the mind to wander within the boundaries of the page but not into the labyrinths of tomorrow’s chaos.
It’s not just about zoning out to your favorite Spotify mix while casually running crayons across the page; it’s about the focused, repetitive motion and the steadying rhythmic patterns that can have on our busy little brains. In some ways, coloring is the non-verbal, structured cousin of journaling, both silent in their therapeutic approach.
3. Creativity and Self-Expression
You don’t have to be Picasso to wield a colored pencil or a marker effectively. And that’s the beauty of it. The low barrier to entry for this activity ensures that creativity—no matter how inherently you believe it to be—is within arm’s reach for everyone.
Engaging in coloring can be a method of quiet self-expression. Your choice of colors, the design you choose to complete, and the blending you incorporate can all be subtle reflections of your mood, a channel for emotions otherwise difficult to convey or manage. It’s a squeaky-crayoned scream of, “I feel this, but I’m working through it.”
Coloring is, at its core, a gateway to the joy we often find in the simple things, a return to the days of carefree escapades through plain white pages with an infinite potential for hues. It is, as adults, a nostalgic indulgence and, as children, a natural inclination. But for all, a befitting activity for the common pursuit of mental well-being.
