Introduction: The Benefits of Coloring
It’s funny how kids have come to own mobile phones while adults own coloring books. Although it may sound a bit silly, coloring is today’s latest fad and somehow, between the rush and stress of the modern way of life, studies have shown that adults need this hobby more than children do.
The sole purpose of coloring at school is for children to learn and distinguish different colors. Of course, it is also a way for them to explore their artistic capabilities and from a psychological point of view, it’s a way for teachers to know the emotional status of their students.
Understand that this is not the case with adults. Coloring as a hobby positively affects the individual’s overall well-being, and it starts with its ability to reduce stress.
Coloring is the perfect substitute for meditation.
Before, meditation was highly recommended for individuals who need to reduce their stress and anxiety levels. Although these two sound entirely normal for a hardworking adult, these result in irreversible damages to a person’s health. Apart from looking too old at an early age, an individual becomes more prone to heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke. Furthermore, the body’s immunity is decreased, while infertility is increased.
Basically, when a person is under stress, the part of the brain that’s in full operation is the hypothalamus. This little ball at the center of the brain is responsible for unleashing the survivor in everyone. Whenever it’s alerted, it will release adrenaline and when this hormone enters the bloodstream, the heart will pump faster, the lungs will take in increased amounts of oxygen and the senses become sharper. In other words, a person transforms into a superhero.
Back in the day, these physiological responses were ideal if a saber tooth tiger was running after you. This is actually the kind of stress humans are naturally born to handle. However, people today encounter the same amount of stress but without the physical exertion. Adrenaline is being released even when the person is merely sitting behind an office desk or behind the wheel. What makes it even worse is the fact that it happens in excess day after day; hence, the development of health complications.
What triggers the alarm of the hypothalamus, however, is the amygdala, and this is what both meditation and coloring relaxes and moderates.
This is the part of the brain responsible for memory, emotions and survival. It’s basically the one that determines if an event is dangerous. For example, if when driving on a freeway the car in front of you suddenly stops, the amygdala interprets it as danger. The message will be received by the hypothalamus and since problem- solving skills are also improved by the adrenaline, the body is able to appropriately react by either stepping on the brakes or swerving.
Don’t forget, however, that the amygdala is connected to memory. The reason why new drivers are trained at low speeds is because they haven’t developed the proper association yet to make an act a reflex. As they continue practicing, the sight of a lit tail light will automatically make them step on the brakes. Apparently, the same association is applied to daily things, such as work.
The sight of your office desk could already be associated with survival or fighting; thus, even if it’s not littered with piles of paper, it could already be enough to trigger stress. It is this association that needs to be regulated to prevent the body from excessively releasing unneeded adrenaline.
Basically, engaging in coloring will lower the amygdala’s activity; thus, reducing any feeling of fear and disabling the stress trigger for the hypothalamus. When made a hobby, it will be trained to avoid harshly alarming the body of stress in the long run. This, however, is not where the benefits of coloring stop.
The best training for focus is coloring.
This is another reason why coloring reduces stress. The mind is taken away from the worries at hand because the attention of the person is completely on the artwork. If you are not entirely familiar with meditation, this is basically the same objective. The person must pour his consciousness into the now -- the present -- and not anywhere else. Thinking of the future, after all, is the very root of anxiety, and thus, stress.
The difference between meditation and coloring is that in the former, the person has to develop a discipline. Sitting upright in the lotus position and transferring all consciousness to one’s breathing is not easy. It will probably take weeks before the activity becomes natural to the person. Whereas with coloring, you only need to decide on what color to use, fill in the blank spaces, and you are automatically in the zone. No other rituals are needed except perhaps sharpening the colored pencils before starting.
It prevents the onset of dementia.
Because hands and eyes need full coordination to avoid coloring beyond the lines, uninterrupted focus must be invested. This leads to another health benefit -- the improvement of vision and motor skills. Basically, activities that require the coordination of sight and limb help maintain brain synapses. These connections rust with time, and they degrade faster if not used in challenging, or at least mind-tingling brain activities.
Sometimes, especially when it’s in the family, it leads to dementia. Once it develops, nothing can ever cure it. Nonetheless, there are ways to prevent or delay its onset. The most popular option is crossword puzzles. This game keeps the mind active and thus, it prevents the development of rust, as explained above. If a person isn’t good with words, however, this game can be stressful. It’s not that they do not have a rich vocabulary. Some people just didn’t score that high in linguistic intelligence, and this is where coloring comes into the picture.
Crossword puzzles have right or wrong answers and the inability to solve one can be quite frustrating. With coloring, however, there are no rules, especially when working on a mandala. However, even if, for example, the image on the book is that of a duck and the person accidentally colors it with blue, no one can ever tell them it’s wrong. That’s the thing about art and creativity. There are no rules and this is why coloring is better in preventing stress and dementia.
The abovementioned benefits are direct influences on the mind and body. The magic of coloring, however,
does not stop there. First off, you meet new friends. For sure, a local group of coloring fads has already started
a weekly meetup. This is their way of sharing coloring tips and secrets to producing a true work of art. At the
same time, it gives them a chance to meet new people over mandala or mehndi patterns, some art materials,
and a bottle of wine.
Another benefit you get out of this is, just like with cross-stitching, you get something to frame and
display after. It’s nice to see something you’ve worked for being admired by guests or friends.