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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Mental Stimulation: Turn to Colouring Books to Relieve Stress


With each passing day, it seems like new applications or other programs that promise to help with improving memory or being excellent forms of brain exercise are released on to the market. Most of these things are gimmicks, but on occasion, one of these ideas actually has some proverbial weight behind it. One thing we all know about the modern world is that it is highly stressful. More people suffer from stress, depression, and other forms of mental illness than ever before.

This means that part of our health regimen should involve reducing stress and anxiety. One thing that many adults have found is, surprisingly, the benefits of an old childhood pastime, coloring. You may have noticed the proliferation of coloring books meant for adults that are available on the marketplace. Many adults have taken up coloring as a means to wind down after a hard day, to de-stress, and even as a means to reduce their anxiety and mental illness.

Not only is this something that is fun to do, but there is also a lot of scientific evidence that supports the benefits of things like coloring for adults. In fact, there seems to be more proven benefit to creative endeavors like this than there is for many of the brain training tools for sale today. Interestingly enough, we have known about the myriad of benefits of these types of activities for well over a hundred years.

Whether you just want a new way to unwind, keep your brain fit, or a way to reduce anxiety, coloring books for an adult are a fun, proven way to do this. There's a good reason that coloring books designed for adults are making the bestseller's lists. The world we live in is more stressful than ever before. More and more people are suffering from anxiety and other psychological disorders and need a means to help cope with the rigors of modern life.

We have known the benefits of different forms of art therapy, including the psychological benefits of coloring, for a hundred years. The famous psychologist, Carl Jung, was known to prescribe what he called “color therapy” as a means for his patients to reduce their anxiety and find a calm center.

Coloring is a logical, yet creative, pursuit. This means that it works many different parts of the brain at the same time. The repetitive nature of coloring has been scientifically shown to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, and to also slow breathing rate. These things do wonder at reducing the physical signs of anxiety or stress.

It has also been shown that coloring can help in improving memory and one's ability to focus on tasks for fully, as well as helping maintain motor coordination. Coloring is a great means of keeping your fine motor skills “fit” if you will. The skills used when coloring are great ways to “exercise” your fine motor skills. There is a lot of evidence that supports the idea that this is a “use it or lose it” aspect of cognitive functioning, making it important to maintain the skill.

While we have long known that art therapy has many different positive uses, it is something that is not accessible to everyone who might benefit from it. Not all of us are talented artists or painters, and as a result, many artistic endeavors are beyond us. Coloring is a highly accessible artistic activity that only requires you be able to pick color combinations and stay inside the lines. And yet, the finished product is undeniably beautiful. Coloring gives people who lack a lot of artistic skills a means of creative expression.

Coloring has been shown as an effective way to de-stress, reduce anxiety, and to simply have fun. More an more coloring groups are popping up around the country, whereby people get together to do things like eat, drink, and color together. It is easier than ever before to find coloring books suitable for adults that are as simple or intricate as you desire. The options are almost endless.

There are psychological and physiological benefits for adults that color. The repetitive action helps calm the mind and body, literally slowing down the heart rate and pulse, and reducing the physical symptoms of nervousness and anxiety. There is the sense of accomplishment and the benefit of creating something beautiful. With adult coloring books, you don't have to be supremely talented or an artist to create something visually appealing. Adult coloring books make art accessible to the regular person, allowing them a positive, creative outlet.

We have known the benefits of art therapy for over a hundred years. As our society has gotten more fast-paced and stressful, we have had a growing need to find all the tools we can to combat the negative aspects of modern life. To beat the constant stress of our daily lives, activities such as coloring provide mental stimulation, they provide something to keep the hands busy, and the repetitive action of coloring has been shown to calm the mind and body. 

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