Color Your World Healthier

It seems like everyone I talk to lately is busy busy busy...friends, family, coworkers, classmates, myself included.  This fast-paced lifestyle seems to be the new normal.  I get so caught up in my to-do list that when I do take a few minutes to relax I start to get anxious feeling like there must be something I should doing that I have forgotten about.

In fact, a few colleagues and I were discussing recently how we don't seem to have time to do things just for fun any more.  Typically whatever we are doing is for a specific purpose...checking off that mile long to-do list.  All this constant mental activity and stimulation can be bad for our health and well-being.  Our minds need that downtime to unplug and recharge.

In the past few months I have been seeing multiple articles on coloring for health and have been wanting to write about it myself.  This seemed like the perfect time to do so.  The articles discuss the possibility of coloring as a means of reducing stress by decreasing activity of the amygdala which controls our emotions.  It can also relieve stress by providing a distraction from our worries as we focus on the colors and lines of the pictures.  The colors themselves even allow us to explore our emotions on another level.  Additionally, the articles suggest coloring can enhance creativity and motor skills.

Kids have been having fun coloring for years...maybe they can teach us a thing or two about mental relaxation.  It's simple and also quite a cheap form of therapy when you consider a coloring book and box of crayons can be purchased for about $1 each.

With the holidays coming up our regularly hectic lives get that much busier as we deal with social events and overcrowded stores that more likely resemble madhouses.  The whole family can get creative and unwind by coloring together with festive themed printables such as this cure snow globe found at: http://www.freefunchristmas.com/christmas-coloring-pages/

Resources:

Hawkins, A. (2014). Combat stress by coloring. Good Housekeeping. Retrieved from  http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/coloring-to-relieve-stress

Naughton, R. (2014). Coloring can help adults combat stress. Fox2Now. Retrieved from http://fox2now.com/2014/10/28/coloring-can-help-adults-combat-stress/
 
Santos, E. (2014). Coloring isn't just for kids: It can actually help adults combat stress.  Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832.html

DISCLAIMER: The content on this blog, www.mind-bodypursuit.blogspot.com, represents the thoughts, ideas, and experiences of its author and should be taken as such…with a grain of salt.  It is for entertainment purposes only and not intended to prevent, diagnose, or cure.  Before trying any new physical activity, dietary plan, supplementation, complementary and alternative therapy, or other wellness tip please seek the guidance of a qualified professional.