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Adults Are Realizing That Coloring Isn't Just For Kids, And It's Improving Their Health

October 30, 2014

Coloring generates wellness, quietness, and stimulates brain activity related to motor skills, the senses and creativity. But as we grow older, we put down the crayons because coloring is a "children's activity."

What if it wasn't?

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Coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on just that activity and not on our worries and problems. It also "brings out our imagination and takes us back to our childhood, a period in which we most certainly had a lot less stress," says psychologist Gloria Martínez Ayala.

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"I recommend it as a relaxation technique," says psychologist Antoni Martínez. "We can use it to enter into a more creative, freer state," he assures. We can also use it to connect with how we feel, since depending on our mood we choose different colors or intensity. "I myself have practiced that. I recommend it in a quiet environment, even with chill music. Let the color and the lines flow."

Publishers have started producing coloring books specifically for adults. In France and the UK, adult coloring books are best sellers. The books are filled with all kinds of outlines from butterflies and flowers to cupcakes, graffiti and psychedelic patterns.

This art therapy trend has yet to hit the U.S., but because publishers have found it immensely profitable overseas, it's only a matter of time.

So if you've yet to try coloring as a relaxation technique, here's a beginners tip: Don't use pen markers that bleed through the paper. Use crayons.

(H/T) Huffington Post