Adult colouring is certainly a craze that has taken off recently – shops are claiming to have seen a 300% increase in sales of colouring books and a leading pencil manufacturer has warned of a as they’re struggling to keep up with the demand for colouring pencils!
But why is it so popular? Aside from it being quite fun (if you like that kind of thing), colouring has actually been proven to have huge mental health benefits. Doctors have known about these benefits since the 1990s. Psychiatrist prescribed the coloring of mandalas to his patients to calm and centre their minds and doctors are still recommending colouring to patients to fight anxiety and stress.
It seems crazy (to me) that something as simple as colouring can be beneficial to us but here are a few reasons why…
Reduce stress levels
Colouring is proven to reduce stress, letting your mind get the rest it needs as it relaxes the amygdala (the part of our brain that processes and expresses emotions, especially anger and fear). Quite simply, is has a de-stressing effect because we focus on it and not on our worries but it also takes us back to the stress free days of our childhood.
An alternative to meditation
Meditation is the art of doing nothing. A lot of people find it hard to switch off and meditate but concentrating on the intricate patterns easily helps our brains to induce that meditative state. Our brains enter this relaxed state by focusing on the present and blocking out all that nonstop thinking we experience.
Take a digital detox and sleep well
We’re constantly warned about the impact that screens have on our emotional and physical health but we spend the majority of our lives in front of the computer screen and when we’re not, we’re tapping away at our smartphones.
Taking a break from screens before we go to bed can help us sleep better. I’m guilty of not doing this – catching up on my favourite TV shows, replying to emails, scrolling through my Instagram feed. Evening electronic use reduces our levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone) but what else is there to do? Colouring provides an alternative for a short screen break before we hit the hay (melatonin levels intact!)
Improve focus
Staying within the lines takes focus, just a little though – no stress! I read that some offices, particularly creative professionals and other high stress industries, are starting to introduce group colouring sessions for employees during big projects. There’s evidence that even a short colouring session can help improve focus and creativity. Have you had a colouring meeting yet?
Express yourself with a creative exercise
There are no rules so you can express yourself in ways that you can’t in your daily life and routine. The great thing is you don’t need to be an artist so this is something for everyone and as you might guess, different colours activate the brain in different ways. Blues are said to increase calmness and greens support balance and harmony while orange stimulates creativity, productiveness and optimism.
So, next time you feel the need to de-stress and escape your everyday routine, put colouring pencil to paper and embrace your inner child!
You don’t need to buy a whole book – you can license individual illustrations or vectors through 17³Ô¹ÏÔÚÏß â€“ take a look at our lightbox for some of our favourites. Or, if you want something a bit more personal, check out and create colouring books from your Instagram images!