Benefits Of Coloring

Written by Prisha Tiwari

When was the last time you colored? Many people believe that coloring is an activity for little kids, but believe it or not it actually has many benefits for your mental health.

One reason coloring is something you should do is because it increases your mindfulness. When coloring you’re focusing on the present moment, what colors you’re using, what you're coloring and what you want it to look like, and staying inside the lines. You forget about whatever else you were worrying about to focus on the task at hand. Everything else around you becomes easy to tune out as you work on your drawing. Make sure to be non judgmental to yourself/your creation as your work, remember you are doing it for fun.

Coloring can also give you a sweet simple sense of accomplishment. It is nice to look at the vibrant picture you made after all your work. It’s a leisurely activity that makes you feel fulfilled. Afterwards you are also more productive because your brain is more focused, concentrated, and calm.

Another benefit is that it makes you less stressed out. It relaxes your brain and body. This leads to being more awake, having better sleep, and decreasing feelings like depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

When you color you are training yourself to be more accepting and less judgmental. When you make a mistake, like coloring outside of the lines, you learn to care less about it and forget about it, instead of beating yourself about it. This ends up transferring into your life outside of coloring which makes you happier. You’re able to understand how to embrace the imperfect, the only thing that matters when your coloring is your enjoyment.

Sources

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/coloring-is-good-for-your-health#:~:text=Coloring%20is%20a%20healthy%20way,feelings%20of%20depression%20and%20anxiety