B Good to yourself

The unknown benefits of colouring for adults

20 February 2017

My husband started drawing with our 5 years old daughter. Funny and surprisinly enough, he enjoys it not only because it’s fun but also he found it very relaxing.

Like most of the kids at her age, our daughter just love drawing. She has her drawing and/or colouring books that rarely leaves her. As her stroke became more precise, we started buying  her more complicated and precised drawings like mosaics.

Very often, she invited her father to join her. And as he rarely refuses her anything, he started drawing with her very simple things as well and also progressed as she did. The coloring of mosaic’s models or watercolors could keep them both concentrated and quiet for hours…lucky me!

My husband kept telling me how peaceful it was to draw. Focusing on little details kept him away from the stress of work during the week and allowed him to release the pressure! Amazing knowing him.

And it seems that coloring have real benefits for adults! One day I watched a whole program on TV and I also bumped into several articles highlighting them. Here are the main ones:

  1. first, it’s fun!
  2. then of course, on top of the list, it helps de-stress because you relax your “amygdala- the fear center of your brain-and allow your brain to get the rest it needs”
  3. it enhance the activation of both parts of the cerebral hemisphere, i.e. logic and creativity. And of course, it helps you focus
  4. bring adults back to childhood i.e. a world where time was stress-free, a period full of insouciance and optimism about the future
  5. you can be yourself without the fear of being judged if you don’t want to show it to anyone else. You love yourself unconditionally
  6. meditation similarities where you don’t do anything but “de- concentrating”. Some people find it hard to meditate and to release the pressure but it can come naturally when you draw – “you enter a meditate state”
  7. obviously reduce anxiety. Many recognised therapists are using this activity to help their patient relax.
  8. help them re-discovering themselves and plung in their inner thoughts and inner reflection

Have a try…you will find it fascinating. You can find colouring books and art supplies nearly everywhere. A bit expensive but more that a meditation class and it’s so worth it. So get your pencil and be colourful ๐Ÿ™‚