It’s official, the colouring books we used to spend hours doodling in during our youth are making a comeback.
2015 has seen a fast, and unexpected, rise in the sales of coloring books for adults, so much so they are currently considered to be the ‘in thing’. Turning off screens, sitting down and colouring in the lines has captured the imaginations of thousands of people across the country and the trend keeps on growing.
Psychologists believe the reason colouring is popular is because it calms the mind and takes our focus away from stress and problems, whilst stimulating motor skills, senses and creativity and they could be right:
‘I feel wonderfully calm after a colouring session. ‘
Julie
‘It gets me away from work and takes me to somewhere I feel much calmer.”
Jo
“I love that this classic activity has come back into fashion so we can enjoy it all over again.”
Di
We have had a look at the ideas behind the phenomenon that is the adult colouring book and why they are actually really quite good for you:
They relieve stress and anxiety
Working with your hands is a fantastic way to soothe anxiety and get ride of unwanted stress. As our lives get busier and more hectic, with extra demands being piled upon us all of the time, it is little wonder we get bogged down. It is vital to find a little ‘me time’ and just ten minutes of sitting down and colouring can make a massive different to your headspace. Just like a little meditation, it will give you the chance to escape from the 9 to 5 chaos and come back to centre, focus and even breath.
Put the Gadgets Down
Whether it is desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, Sat Navs or TVs we simply can’t get away from gadgets these days. A coloring book is an easy, simple, cost effective way to escape from screens. Turn any screens off (you aren’t allowed to have a quick look), go into another room and start to draw. No, colouring apps on smartphones and tablets aren’t the same, you need paper.
When You Were Young
There is something enchanting and memory provoking about sitting down with a shiny, new coloring book with sharpened pencils whatever your age. It might be simple but that blank canvas and the opportunity to create something amazing is pretty powerful.
Go your own way
We know we are stating the obvious, but it is your coloring book so you can do it your own way without worrying what anyone else thinks. They don’t even have to know what you are doing. Whether you want to go dark and gothic or strike out with vibrant reds and oranges, do it your way and you will feel so much better for it.
Train Your Brain
Did you know that coloring in requires the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate? Well, it does and this helps improves your fine motor skills as well as your vision. Some professionals also think that colouring in, just like crosswords and puzzles, can help delay or prevent the onset of dementia, which has to be another reason for taking the drawing plunge?
If you haven’t caught up with this trend, go out now and buy a book and pack of pencils and let your worries disappear. At the end of the day, coloring is all about having fun and we all need a bit of that in our lives.