It started for me three years ago when I began working with special needs children. I needed things to do with them because just talking wasn't connecting. Proof that people do not hear a huge percentage of what we say and why I urge parents to resist the temptation to narrate. Kids are professionals at tuning out the "drone voice".
Back to coloring. I thought it would be a good idea to have something to color during our meetings. The grocery store coloring books are printed on such poor quality paper I went to Amazon and ordered some with beautiful scenes. I found some #Melissa&Doug blending markers and brought these items to my kid meetings. Throughout that fall, we colored our way through conversations and skills teaching. Of course I colored right along with my clients because I wanted to show them I like to participate. Not to mention that I like to color, too. By Valentine's Day, I was often coloring at home as a way to relax from a day of mental health. I needed to order more coloring books and found other markers and colored pencils, too. Then came the magic: stress reducing coloring books were popping up everywhere!
There are now dozens of different styles and objects to color. The best I've found are under the adult coloring category. Sorry cat lovers, I am just not gonna relax while coloring a kitty. Patterns are my favorite, but you can also get scenes and landscapes if you like. Over the past few years I have experimented with different markers, pens and pencils and have introduced adult coloring to every client (adult and child) as a method of reducing their stress by coloring their way into relaxation.
It really works for anyone willing to sit down and focus on their coloring. Now that adult coloring is "A Thing", rip-offs are everywhere. Beware of the paper quality and size of the books. Not only that, check out how thin or thick the lines are that you will be coloring inside - some are unrealistically thin - how could you color between them? A small coloring book will frustrate a child (or me) who needs more space. You can buy books where you can rip pages out individually. These are the ones I like the best because you aren't struggling to get the book to lie flat while you color. Be sure and get markers that don't bleed through the pages. The kits I see available everywhere have those kind of markers. It's worth it to do your homework. I've found Amazon has better options that I am happier with than any big box impulse buy.
After a year of coloring, I discovered Zentangle. This is where you use fine point markers, draw shapes and then fill in the shapes with random patterns and shading. Talk about being "A Thing"! This is a well-established, respected art form that has existed for a handful of years - I'm just a late blooming fan. There are books and books available to inspire you. This worked really well with one of my special needs kid clients who could amp up their rage within seconds. They were delighted to be calming down and creating a thing of beauty. I truly believe art reaches areas of the human psyche that words cannot. (Above is an ornament I made. Just fold, glue and hang!)
A few months ago, I heard a cable news pundit chiding universities for providing anxious students with crayons and coloring books. He harrumphed and sneered at the idea of "adults coloring" and laughed bitterly. I yelled at the TV and told him he had no idea what he is talking about and was completely out of touch regarding mental health skills.
Coloring, drawing, writing. All stress-reducers. Not only that, they serve double-duty. You learn a new skill and create something along the way.
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