I've been coloring a lot this past week.
I previously shared some generic Ways I Personally De-Stress to include keeping myself distracted. Sometimes it helps to get my mind off the things that bother me. Recently, my go-to distraction is filling pages of coloring books. I thought I'd elaborate on why I color as an adult to relieve stress.
How Does Coloring Help Me De-Stress?
Arts and crafts are hobbies I enjoy despite my skill level. Coloring is an artsy hobby that's simple and doesn't require any special skills. There isn't much thought needed to complete a coloring page.
It's simple and mind numbing, allowing me to put my thoughts aside. I'm essentially practicing focused meditation where I only concentrate on coloring for a set amount of time. If my mind begins to wander, I return my focus to the page I'm coloring.
Coloring may not feel like a meditative or therapeutic activity for many adults, but I find it very soothing and relaxing. It's a childhood past time I enjoyed well into adulthood. This may be because I'm an older adult who still embraces her inner child.
Then again, some members of educational and medical institutions suggest that coloring promotes wellness and generates mindfulness in the moment. It helps to calm a restless mind.
Why Have I Colored More Recently?
It should come as no surprise to many that 2020 has been a stressful year for everyone. Now that we're nearing the widely celebrated holiday events during a pandemic, my paranoia and fears about holiday travels and family get-together have elevated.
My family is planning for traditional holiday celebrations and expect me to participate. I'd rather be safe at home, which I've never celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's in, and see everyone under better conditions next year. I won't go into details about my paranoia and fear in this blog, but there's a chance I'll write about it within the next week since it's on the forefront of my mind.
Because I'm concerned about the pandemic and pleasing my family when I prefer to play it safe, I've kept myself distracted with arts and crafts. However, it sometimes adds to my stress when I'm struggling to learn something new or can't overcome a challenge easily.
Coloring is low-stakes and doesn't demand anything more than something to color with. Mistakes are minimal. When I make a mistake, it's usually an easy fix. Worst case scenario, I move on to another coloring page and start over again.
I can use as many colors as I want for a coloring page. Sometimes I challenge myself by selecting a set number of colors to color with (e.g. blue, pink, and green only), coloring with a single color family (e.g. only shades of green), or randomly selecting a color blindly (e.g. the tree will be the first color I pull out of a bag without looking).
For a simple activity as coloring a page in a coloring book, I can choose to keep it simple or make myself fun challenges. At least these are challenges I can control and decide on, unlike the unexpected challenges that come with other crafts like working with resin or pyrography.
Coloring books are easily portable. There were times in the past when I grabbed a coloring book, threw some markers or colored pencils into a small pocket, and headed to a park with my dogs. With my things and some things for my dogs packed, we'd scout a picnic area to hang out at for a few hours.
Shadow watched people and other animals as they passed or picnic within sight, Rascal heroically guarded us from under a blanket he'd cover himself with, and I'd color a page in my coloring book to pass time and clear my mind.
A Bonus Benefits to Coloring
I considered coloring an opportunity to practice using alcohol ink markers, colored pencils, paints, crayons, or a combination of various coloring mediums. While it's easy to just grab a color and use it on the page, I like the challenge of learning how to use the colors to add depth with highlights and shadows in images.
I've used alcohol inks the most lately because I wanted to improve my skills in blending the colors to create smooth gradients. This month, I've started using colored pencils over ink to achieve shading. It's relaxing to me to experiment with mixing media to color a page for my enjoyment.
My Thoughts
Coloring's been my recent go-to for de-stressing in a stress-inducing end to the year. I find it soothing and relaxing to complete a page with my preferred color medium at the time.
I'm practicing focused meditation by putting all my paranoia and fears aside while I turn my attention to completing a coloring page. My mind clears and I feel at rest for a moment in time. Sometimes I color for a few minutes. Sometimes I color for a few hours. No matter how long I spend on this activity, it seems like it's enough to get back to my regularly programmed life.
What's Next?
In addition to coloring pages in a coloring book, I've also colored digital drawings of my own creations. If I get over the embarrassment of how amateur I feel my artwork is, I'll hopefully share one or two drawings with you soon.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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