Following Caz’s post from  InvisiblyMe a couple of weeks ago on Adult Colouring book  I was reminded of when the craze first came out almost three years ago when I first posted about it, though not in this blog and I thought I’d share the benefits of colouring in from an OT point of view which you probably never thought about and also share another one of my picks. Colouring in is is not just for children although if you are a child or have a child it is a great tool for developing fine motor skills prior to writing and colour recognition. Growing up with both of my grandparents as artists, art has always been something which relaxes me and I think this is such a wonderful therapy.

Whether you love it or hate it.

1. It allows you to wind down and relax, especially if you choose a cool colour palette, encourages creativity and each individual movement of the pencil as you colour can be calming. Does anyone else find the sound of a freshly sharpened pencil against a clean whit paper relaxing?
2. If you don’t think about it too much, although if you’re a bit of a perfectionist like me, colouring in can be quiete tedious, it  allows you to focus on the present  moment because focusing on the page you are colouring in and the patterns distracts you from other thoughts and promotes concentration.
3. Colouring in reduces stress and anxiety by allowing the amygdala and hypothalamus to relax. The amygdala is the part in your brain responsible for regulating emotions and the feeling of fear and the stress response.
4. It  strengthens hand muscles and fine motor skills.
5. It utilities both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This is particularly good for people living with neurological conditions as you can use colouring in to re-train the brain.
6. It brings us back to memories of our childhood. Remember the smell of a fresh pack of crayons or sitting in your prep classroom not having to worry of anything?
7.  You can do it on your own or with friends.  The next time you have an opportunity  to catch up with your friends and you don’t feel like doing something to high key, why not sit back with a warm cup of tea pr chocolate, or if it’s summer a nice cold milkshake or ice drink (with ice cream of course) and colour in. If like me you don’t have many friends don’t worry, you can do it on your own. You can even carry one along with you.
8. You don’t have to be good at art to enjoy them and once finished them you can use them to decorate a room to brighten it up or tear them out and stick them onto your books etc.

So I did say I’d share my picks which are not already mentioned and here they are.

• Colour Me Inspired by Kristina Webb

It contains positive quotes for each day as well as tear out cards you can colour in and give out to people.  Although I can’t seem to find the one I found in the shops three years ago which was a diary for the year with a different picture and positive quote for every day. Speaking of diary’s stay tuned for an upcoming post on the best diary’s for 2019.

You can purchase via this link on Amazon.

• I often find myself in the art and craft aisles of $2 shops and so another awesome little colouring book I came across is The Little Book of Colouring In Bloom. Peace in Your Pocket. It’s the perfect pocket size travel colouring in book, making it ideal to carry around with you and has quotes in them like “Smiles can make even the darkest days look brighter.  Be generous with them and “Today and every day, do one small thing that makes you happy, and your happiness will grow every day.”

• Jess Volinkski Notebook Doodles

The reason I like this series of colouring in books is because of the quotes. I am a POSITIVE person and I find the quotes in these pages to be uplifting when I’m having a bad day, my favourite one being the one in the picture, Colourful Inspirations. It contains quotes like “Your wings already exist, all you have to do is fly” and “We are cups, constantly  and quietly being filled. The tip is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” – Ray Bradbury  I know you will like this one Alyssa.

• Birds by Ben Kwok

If you’re a bird lover like me then this one is for you. It contains quotes about birds, flying and wings like “What if I fall. Oh but darling what if I fly”– Erin Hanson, “ If you want to fly you have to give up everything that weighs you down” and  You won’t know your limitations until you soar high and give it a try.”  -Virkrmn

• And finally Good Vibes Colouring Book by Thaneeya McArdle which I am not allowed to put a picture of in my blog due to Copyright.

Now I’m not sure how to add a poll to my post so for anyone reading this you’ll have to add your answers to the bottom of the page but I’d love to know how many of you have already been doing adult colouring in and find it therapeutic and what are your thoughts on this?

And what other things do you like to  do to relax?

I hope you are able to colour your way through the day.