Opinion: How to de-stress with coloring
As finals week approaches, I know many of us are too stressed to sleep or even eat at times, but there are tons of relaxing activities that we can take part in to relax. Yoga, healthy eating habits and meditation can be stimulating activities that calm us down, but how do we stimulate the brain, relax and have fun at the same time?
As complex designs made for older age groups came into the coloring book industry, there was a boom in sales for intricate books for adults. The trend increased around the mid-2010s when artists like Johanna Basford published coloring books that were international best-sellers. While the craze has calmed down since then, researchers still argue that coloring is a mindful activity that can help us all.
In an article by Nikki Martinez for the Huffington Post, she explains the reasons by coloring can help improve emotional health and strengthen our intellectual minds. She writes, “[Coloring books] can be focused, therapeutic, relaxing, calming, problem-solving, and organizational.” Coloring can enhance your focus to help you become more detail-oriented. Coloring reduces anxiety as you focus on a single project in front of you, gives you quiet mindfulness, and gives you a sense of satisfaction.
Coloring in between studying and working can give your mind time to breathe. Emily Silber from PsychologyToday talked about a study done in Psychological Science where those who took breaks away from problem-solving and let their minds wander during simpler tasks did better in subsequent tasks: “There’s also some evidence that, in combination with other activities, repetitive penciling can increase concentration.”
Additionally, Beaumont described coloring for adults as a cathartic stress reliever: “Coloring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind.” Coloring regularly can improve motor skills and function, sleeping and focus from opening up the frontal lobe.
Taking the time to color intricate pictures can be a great way to get you in the right mindset for studying. As students, we have to prioritize our health during stressful times. It’s important to know that while passing our classes is important, our mental, emotional and physical health are even more important.
There are a variety of ways to balance our mental health during finals week, but coloring may result in some fun art to hang around the house while also helping us to de-stress.
Megan Cowdell is a freshman opinion columnist studying for a bachelor’s in Communications. She loves music, reading and wants to write books for a living.
megan.cowdell@usu.edu