Coloring seems like a fairly simple activity. But it has tremendous mental health benefits.
Coloring promotes mindfulness. The basic tasks of choosing hues and coloring the design help your mind stay in the present moment.
Coloring can quiet your negative thoughts. By staying in the present and concentrating on simple decisions–such as yellow or cyan for that flower–keeps your brain too busy to focus on the negative thoughts that can interfere with your mind.
Coloring relaxes your brain. With your negative thoughts quiet for a bit and your mind focused on simple, low-stakes decisions, your brain can relax for a bit.
Coloring strengthens your mind. This simple activity requires the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate–which in turn, helps your brain grow stronger.
Ditch the blue light
We know that electronics interrupt sleep, yet so many of us turn to apps to try and “shut off” our brains. Coloring is a much better way to relax your mind, quiet your thoughts and get ready to snooze.
Remind yourself
Many adult coloring books come with messages of support, acceptance and encouragement. These can be powerful reminders of what is important in life.
These motivational coloring books or pages can go a long way toward inspiring you to work on issues and to feel better about the future.
Try coloring and see the benefits for yourself. Click on any of the images above to download a coloring sheet.