Coloring is one of the most common activities among children; it is a pleasant pastime that allows you to refine important motor skills and develop the first artistic skills (related to the recognition and use of colors, but also to the main coloring techniques).
Coloring is not a therapeutic practice and is something quite distinct from art therapy. However, this is a repetitive and relatively simple task: the ideal to "switch off" and relax, reducing stress. Therefore, coloring, even without healing anyone, is highly beneficial. According to several studies, coloring drawings and mandalas is an activity capable of freeing the mind from stress and anxiety. It is an activity that leads to breaking away from routine and worries, completely immersing oneself in a task with no other purpose than to have a little fun.
Mainly, the beneficial effects of coloring are two:
- Distract the mind from negative thoughts and sources of stress
- Adjust the mood through positive activity.
Among the first to recognize coloring as a beneficial tool, we find the psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung, who suggested to his patients to scribble and color (in particular, many of his analyzes focused on the design and coloring of mandalas). Jung himself used to draw and color mandalas as a tool for self-analysis.
Being reconciled with one's feelings, exploring one's feelings and emotional conflicts, knowing oneself better, keeping anxiety and stress under control are among the benefits that can be drawn from taking crayons and pencils and putting on coloring.
Coloring books would also help the adult stay focused on just one activity, removing sources of concern and thus revealing a great way to take a relaxing break, even while at work. Not least, some say that choosing the color to use, the right combinations, being careful not to go outside the edges are all ways to keep the brain in training.
