This Kids Product Could Help Decrease Stress in Adults
Definitely could be why children never seem as anxious as we are.
by Rachel Linder
Stressed out? You’re not the only one. According to the American Institute of Stress, about 73% of people experience stress, which has a direct impact on their overall mental health. It’s a feeling that many of us are all too familiar with, and sometimes feel can be impossible to escape. When it comes down to it, the best way to destress lies in the coping mechanisms you use to address it. If you acknowledge it’s there, and work to alleviate it, that unpleasant feeling can begin to subside. One successful coping mechanism that could be the key to decreasing your stress levels can be found in your local toy store, and it’s not just for kids.
Coloring books could be the tool you’ve been missing when it comes to lowering your stress levels. According to the Cleveland Clinic, adult coloring books work to serve three purposes when it comes to alleviating stress. First and foremost, when you’re coloring, you’re taking the attention away from yourself, and instead focusing on the drawing at hand. Focusing on the drawing works similarly to focusing on your breathing during meditation when it comes to calming the body and mind. To this end, coloring allows for the brain to feel relaxed. Spending time on a simple activity such as drawing that requires little brainpower to be successful gives the brain a chance to relax, rather than constantly being wrapped up in worry. It’s the simplicity of it all that also makes it pleasurable for the brain. It's for all these reasons that spending time working on an adult coloring book could be the break your brain has needed.
A study published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found similar benefits to coloring in a group of stressed, undergraduate students. The researchers randomly assigned the participants in various groups—some were given a paper with a mandala, while others were given a blank piece of paper without a pattern. Both groups were advised to color. The group given the blank sheet of paper reported higher levels of stress after the activity than the group given the mandala. So, it can be concluded from this study that coloring a geometric pattern, in this case a mandala, leads to decreased stress levels in students suffering from anxiety. This is all to say one thing: it works.
Of course, it’s not the end-all when it comes to alleviating stress, especially in individuals suffering from diagnosed anxiety, but it certainly is a good starting point. Not to mention you could have a coloring book and a package of crayons in your hands for under $10. There’s also no wrong way to do it, so once you get your hands on a book, just start coloring.