“Colour is a power which directly influences the Soul” – Wassily Kandinsky
I guess you could say that colouring in has always been known as an activity for kids. It teaches them colours, improves their motor skills, to stay In between the lines and express their creativity! Times have passed, things have changed and we now look at the concept of colouring in a different way. To be honest for those that know me will tell you that I have ALWAYS loved colouring in, I guess I found it relaxing.. I am very much a visual person so I really respond to things like COLOUR, SCENERY and IMAGES, I love that each image is unique and I love watching it all come together starting from a plain. white. page. I could always see inbetween the black lines (a bit like life I guess) excited to add vibrant colours and add character and personality to the sketch. I love the motion of colouring and the individual interpretation people have of each picture, the colours they would choose and the types of colouring in styles they have.
In the last couple of years Mindful colouring has really been a ‘Thing’ a quiet ‘Popular Thing’ I might add. Lets take a look at some of the benefits and why this new ‘thing’ has taken the world by storm!
1. Practice being present: Colouring In helps you focus and be present in the now. Anxiety drifts and wonders so practicing focus and the “quietness” of the mind is a very good skill to master. Watching the lines of colour appear on your white page is soothing, calming and some what hypnotic.
2. Express yourself: Expressing feelings, thoughts and emotions for some, is not as simple as it is for others. Colouring allows you to express yourself, unload and create something visual with what you may have building inside. It’s more than just strokes of colour on a page. It’s expression, personality and absolutely therapeutic!
3. Alternate Meditation Practice: Some of you find the idea of practicing meditation down right torture! lol It’s not for everyone and that’s totally fine. The beauty of meditation is that it comes in so many forms. There are no rules about HOW it’s practiced, for HOW long its practiced and HOW many times a day its practiced. It works for all ages and it’s all about what works for you. Mindful Colouring, like meditation gives us the opportunity to switch the off brain from our thoughts, set aside time to reconnect, observe your surroundings and recharge the mind.
4. Relaxation: Adult colouring in has really started to be recognised for its therapeutic properties! This is one of the reasons I personally enjoy it, I find it very therapeutic and relaxing. Colours in themselves are very healing and have been used as a therapeutic practice in many parts of the world for hundreds of years. Overall we respond very well to colours and so do our thoughts, feelings, emotions and pain receptors! (This is evident in marketing/advertising strategies, food presentation, the colours we choose in our living space and wellness centres and spas)
5. Opportunity to express yourself without the creative flair: The best part is that you don’t need to be an artist to colour in! Some of you have kept away from this practice because you tell me that there ‘isn’t a creative bone in your body’ and LUCKILY you don’t need any! There are no rules, you don’t have to show it to anyone. Just go with the flow!
6. Strengthens your Focus: Anything that helps you control your focus and attention is going to help you manage your anxiety. Anxiety often leaves you feeling ‘out of control’ like you can’t manage your thoughts, feelings and physical symptoms. Practices such as this and mindfulness helps your strengthen your direction and focus. It allows you to shift it when needed and as we all know PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. The reason why this practice is so helpful in achieving that is because you need to do things like.. picking different colours, colouring inbetween the lines and creating an image that you find pleasing to the eye. The best bit is that while you are concentrating on this you are not focusing on your thoughts. If you do find yourself drifting off into anxiety and its mayhem, that’s ok just gently shift your focus back to the now and what your doing.
7. Unplug: Who am I kidding! We all love the world of technology that is today. Social Media, google, our phones, TV and the list goes onnnnn and onnnnnnnn. Whilst those things are fabulous we don’t give ourselves enough time in the day to just unplug and recharge our own batteries. Mindful colouring whilst providing all the benefits mentioned above also allows us to amp up the self care, some ME time, unplug from technology and the world even if that means for 5-10 minutes. Its a beautiful feeling experiencing the calm and stillness of the mind, the thoughts will race to begin with and then you will slowly start to notice them slowing down.. Your mind and body without realising at first will enjoy the tranquilty. The more you experience this feeling the more you will begin to crave it.
So there you have it! 7 Reasons Adult Colouring books and Mindful Colouring will help you relieve your Stress and Anxiety. There are no rules as to whether you paint, use pencils, markers, crayons, watercolours or a combination of the lot! Go with the flow and most importantly enjoy it. If you feel like parenthood doesn’t allow you the time, then get the kids involved! Set them up with their own colouring books and you sit alongside them with yours.
Below I have included A FREE sample of My very own Mindful Colouring Book that will be out soon. I’ve had an absolute ball designing my own pages, I hope you enjoy them!
Click Here to Download Your FREE Colouring in Pages
** I would love for you to share the images you have coloured and tag @theanxietywellnessqueen with the #colouringwiththeanxietywellnessqueen I can’t wait to see them!! **
Much Love,
Amanda xx
The Anxiety Wellness Queen
