coloring for anxiety

[beautifullybree]

Has anyone heard of adult coloring to help anxiety. I recently bought several books and have been enjoying them. They are "adult" because the images are harder and some even have swear words. The complex images give your mind something to focus on. I love mine.

 

[amy88]

Yes!! This is one of my absolute favorite things to do when my mind is racing - because it gets me to focus on the simplicity of just choosing what colors I am going to use, and focusing on the artwork at hand.


I have a bunch of coloring books and they have been super helpful for me in calming my mind. If anyone wants to get into it, I recommend checking your local bookstore or even just searching "adult coloring books" on Amazon and there will be a bunch of results!

 

[redpanda]

I actually started coloring about six months ago for the same reason . I find it very relaxing even though I'm not artistic at all. I love coloring animals and nature scenes. The only problem is that I currently don't have a good place to color--no desks or tables. Hopefully that'll change soon, I'd like to make it part of my bedtime routine.

 

[gracer]

I love coloring books! Most especially when I color together with my kid. I haven't colored images or books for a very long time but when I finally had a child of my own and he grew up loving coloring, I finally found my artistic side again. I haven't tried adult coloring books yet but I'm going to try and check them out soon.

 

[beautifullybree]

I'm so glad to see so many of you using this as an outlet. I actually found one for $3 dollars at dollar general and it is a legitimate adult coloring book. They had three choices cats & dogs, birds, and flowers. All of them looked awesome. Amazon also carries a few cheap ones if you're looking for a good deal.

 

[pwarbi]

It was only a couple of months ago that I first became aware of the adult colouring books, and even though I haven't used them myself, I know a lot of people that have and they absolutely love them and say it's one of the best things they've taken up. You don't have to suffer from anxiety or from anything either to enjoy them and lots of people these days simply buy the colouring books and they do it simply as an hobby.


Colouring in a picture will give people something to focus and concentrate on, so if you do suffer from anxiety then this could be considered as the perfect pastime as it gives your mind something to relax with and with a lot of anxiety, that's all a person needs to feel calm and relaxed again.

 

[errdo19]

I havnt tried coloring but I think it is a great idea! I have a wreck it journal that I work on when I feel overly anxious. Each page has different instructions on what to do to it. It could be smearing the page with different items in your room (I chose to use different makeup products), or splattering paint on it or stabbing a marker all over. Some you even get to rip the book or through it. I find it to be a huge stress reliever and you still get to feel like you are creating a form of art. If anyone is interested you can find them on Amazon. There are a few different versions. I just have the original but I'm sure they are all great. If I can't come up with an idea for a page I look on Pinterest for some inspiration.

 

[beautifullybree]

Errdo19 that sounds awesome. I've never heard of these before. I love amazon and was planning to order something tonight. I will be checking this out before I place my order. It sounds like it would be amazing for anger issues as well. I love hearing about new products that make life easier.

 

[fuzyon]

Definitely, I purchased an adult coloring book that supposedly helps with anxiety and while I was reluctant at first, it helps because it makes me actually focus on something rather than letting my mind going a thousand thoughts per minute. There are usually two pages with the same drawing, one with a detailed smaller drawing and a big one that only has the contour drawn. I like to add shadows to the big one and make it realistiic and try to color nicely the one with more details, it's really fun actually.

 

[artyarson]

I doubt their capability of helping anyone get rid of their anxiety. The only way is going through a lot of social interactions. However, the whole thing seems very arty to me. I enjoy doing that and I will probably turn some of my drawings into a tattoo.

 

[beautifullybree]

I doubt their capability of helping anyone get rid of their anxiety. The only way is going through a lot of social interactions. However' date=' the whole thing seems very arty to me. I enjoy doing that and I will probably turn some of my drawings into a tattoo.[/quote']
Its not to cure it per say. It does help distract the mind though. I also enjoy drawing tattoos. I've actually done several of my own tattoos. I've done a few on other people. I guess its best to find what works best for you.

 

[Steph4real]

I love my coloring books too. I've even thought about making my own since I love drawing. Art is so therapeutic. I've been drawing and painting since I was a baby, but you don't need "skills" to do art for relaxation purposes. Anyone can use it to unwind and empty their mind, and you may end up finding you do have a talent for it!

 

[Jemina]

I love drawing, painting and sculpting anyway. I also love baking. So anything creative is always a great way for me to distract myself from things for a while and give me something to focus on. I like to colour as well, especially when the subject in the picture is something I like. For example, if it's a picture of a car I'll get bored, but if it's a picture of a cat I'll probably pay more attention to it.

 

[ineedmystrength]

Like many others on here, I LOVE my coloring books! I use paint, markers, crayons, and colored pencils with them. I'm not an "artist" by any stretch of the imagination, but the coloring books are still a great creative outlet for me. Coloring is the perfect combination of focus and mindlessness for me when my anxiety is trying to get the best of me.

 

[WorkAtHomeGal]

I got one of those nice adult coloring books for Christmas. I find it really helps my anxiety lessen when I color and depression sometimes. Due to to some recent bad things that happened though I have had 0 motivation to color, I miss it.

 

[beautifullybree]

I agree. I actually love so many crafts. Anything DIY is right up my alley. I took art for multiple hours a day in highschool. I wasn't the best at it, and I never will be. That doesn't stop me from loving art though. I wish I could draw my own complete pictures from start to finish. I like sticking to the coloring books,because there is no skill required. I suggest anyone who wants to color to do so. Its worth the stress release and fun.

 

[Robilas]

I do that too! I'ts pretty relaxing and it helps me dealing with anxiety and depression. It's a simple activity, yet it requires a lot of focus. I'm terrible at drawing and painting, so I can't do that but coloring is a decent surrogate.


However I must admit that I'm afraid to mention it to other people, it can be almost embarrassing since everyone thinks that it's an activity for kids. I disagree tho!

 

[Bea]

I haven't tried it myself - but a good number of my friends have and they all have nice things to say about coloring books. They've told me that coloring books do decrease their anxiety and their stress. It keeps their minds off bad things for a good while and gives them something to focus on.

 

[hades_leae]

I have never heard of this remedy before, I did not know that people used coloring for sensation to help with anxiety. I will try it out, and links to these adult coloring books online? I can see how using coloring for depression can help because I only need to focus on the task in front of me which is a nice picture and some colors. I actually haven't done this since I was a little boy now that I think of it.

 

[SheWrites1980]

I began coloring just this past year. I nanny for a living and it started with coloring with the kids. Eventually, they got bored and would move on to playing something else but I would keep coloring. I found it extremely relaxing. I bought a coloring book and crayons for home and now I color while watching TV. Before I would reach for my phone and spend too much time on social media. This has become a much healthier alternative in my opinion.