Keep Calm and Color On

Coloring books occupy the top spot on many of Amazon’s book categories. The trend started out strong in Europe several years ago, gradually making its way to the US, and I jumped on the bandwagon somewhere along the way.

I find coloring calming and relaxing. What I like most about coloring is how simple it is to do. I decide on what genre I want to color, floral, animals, words, or any multitude of choices. Then I determine if I want to use colored pencils, markers, watercolors, or some combination thereof. Then I get to work focusing on each leaf or flower in the instance of coloring floral designs. While I am coloring, I am not thinking about anything besides how to shade a leaf or what color to make the next flower. 

There have been several studies done that looked at the psychological effects of coloring. I read a study published in the Creative Research Journal where psychologists tested 104 female students to see if coloring improved their overall psychological well-being. The participants were measured before and after on stress level, anxiety level, and other psychological conditions. During the evaluation period, they were asked to do either daily coloring or logic tests. Following one week, coloring participants showed significantly lower levels of depression and anxiety versus symptoms of the control participants (who performed logic test) who did not. They concluded that daily coloring could potentially provide an inexpensive, very accessible self-help tool to combat or lower some adverse symptoms like anxiety.

Being that I have experienced similar positive results of coloring, I took it a step further and decided to produce a coloring book. I found the creative process of developing a coloring book was just as calming as coloring. You can order my coloring book Little Flower Garden on Amazon here.

Keep calm and color on.