Ah, the smell of a freshly opened box of crayons or the visual treat of pencils lined up in all the colors of the rainbow … As a kid, you could hardly wait to fill in the lines of your favorite superheroes, castles or dinosaurs, but did you know that you never needed to stop?

Sunday is National Coloring Book Day, a good time to explore the benefits of coloring books for adults, particularly when it comes to mental health.

If you’ve ever picked up a coloring book for adults, you know this is not your 8-year-old’s version. Coloring books for adults have intricate designs, with smaller spaces to fill. Many promote stress-reduction and relaxation – and there are studies supporting those benefits.

Lift Your Spirits

A study of patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) found that adding coloring therapy to conventional treatment helped alleviate anxiety-depression symptoms, improve positive emotions and reduce negative emotions.

Researchers also found that coloring therapy helped patients with nonverbal self-expression. Compared to other forms of art therapy, coloring allowed patients to participate more readily because it requires no prior training or specialized skills.

Slow Down and Unwind

Coloring takes you away from your phone or other distractions. It helps you stay in the present moment and ignore your to-do list while you bring a design to life in your own unique way.

Researchers say coloring can even help you sleep! Try it as part of your nighttime routine to help you wind down.

Coloring mandalas, with their intricate designs, can be especially relaxing. In fact, a separate study found mandala drawing to be an effective way to reduce academic stress and burnout in eighth graders. If you have children struggling with school pressures, why not color together?

Give It a Try

You don’t have to invest in a box of 70-plus colored pencils or make a major time commitment to experience the benefits. Start with a coloring book that brings you delight and a small pack of 12 colored pencils or less.

Choose colors that make you happy. Try it for a few minutes and see how you feel. If you find it beneficial, expand your coloring time and make it a habit in the same way you might incorporate meditation or exercise into your life.

Online resources that are “not your child’s coloring book” are available at no cost from the Smithsonian Libraries. Visit “Color in a New Light” to learn about color harmony from renowned architect and decorator Édouard Guichard. Then experiment with various color combinations while working on coloring pages of masterpieces.

Sources:
Healthline
National Library of Medicine
Smithsonian Libraries