Colouring books for adults? Do they come free with adult dummies? Who are these women with packs of felt-tip pens in their handbags, ripping their kids’ masterpieces from the fridge only to replace them with their own?
There is a new mantra among strung out women looking to de-stress from the daily pressures of juggling work and family life – colouring for adults! There seems to have been, before now, some embarrassment attached to the notion that an adult may enjoy an activity as childish as colouring. This is not about crayons and cartoons. Intricate, complicated and detailed lines, patterns, botanical diagrams, and spaces sketched in black on white; all just waiting to be injected by colour. The boom is being attributed to a modern preoccupation with nostalgia and the growing need to relax.
Did you know that five of Amazon’s top ten best sellers in June were colouring books for adults? Publishers are reporting sales figures in the hundreds of thousands. The Can’t Sleep Colouring Book sold more than 2000 copies in a week! There are Facebook pages devoted to adult colourers and adults are joining colouring clubs. Game of Thrones is making a colouring book! What this means: Colouring is now a normal adult activity.
So, what has caused this newfound love among adults for colouring books? According to Sara Powell, an art psychotherapist working at the Art Therapy International Centre in Dubai, busy adults need a creative outlet, which is where colouring books come in. Adults are seeking constructive and healthy ways to manage stress while having fun. One of the key selling points of these books is that they provide stress relief by helping adults to practise mindfulness, which, along with exercise, is recommended as a way to train the brain away from focusing on worries.
Colouring has surprising scientific results. Research indicates that colouring can help to alter brainwaves. When we’re alert and attentive, with the brain engaging in decision making and problem solving, it operates using beta brainwaves. Precisely what’s needed when you need to think on your feet. But, beta brainwaves require a great deal of mental energy and the brain cannot continue to effectively function in that mode. Almost like a car engine that overheats if you continually rev it! Keeping the brain in high gear puts it under unsustainable pressure. You must shift down a gear for the brain to use alpha brainwaves. If you were to get someone who predominantly operates in beta mode to start colouring in, and at the same time attach them to an EEG machine to record brain activity, you will very soon notice that these all important alpha brainwaves take over causing breathing and heart rate to slow down.
Colouring books for adults have become the latest trend, and unlike some fads, this one is actually really good for you. The health benefits go beyond relaxation. Workaholics use this craze like a “mental power nap”. Both fans and experts have found that sessions of colouring boost mental health. In particular, it can ease insomnia, anxiety and depression. This perfect free-time activity allows the fear centre of your brain to relax, reducing stress and trains your brain to focus on something else by allowing colourers to forget their worries. Being able to live in the moment is a critical skill in our demanding world.
Colouring requires the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate, this in itself improves your fine motor skills and vision. Much like crossword puzzles, colouring in is therapeutic and may delay or prevent the onset of dementia in older individuals.
So, seriously, why aren’t you colouring yet? Colouring for adults has become a trendy way to relax and unplug. Don’t be late to join the adult colouring book party!
Source: www.bustle.com, www.thenational.ae, www.foxnews.com, www.theguardian.com, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.timeslive.co.za, qz.com
DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms or need health advice, please consult a healthcare professional.
