This summer, I bought one of those detailed coloring books for adults but I abandoned it after a few days. Maybe some people find coloring in such intricate pictures to be relaxing, but not me! But recently one of my friends told me that I had to try coloring again — any kind of coloring. She told me to try it for a few minutes a day for a few consecutive days and get back to her with the results 🙂
I had my pack of markers and I just used them freestyle a few times on blank sheets of copy paper. I tried to turn off my brain and just let it flow. It was very, very relaxing, to follow my instincts with no rhyme or reason, drawing shapes and swirls across the page. I felt connected to my inner child.
One coloring prompt I read about in Recovery of Your Inner Child, by Lucia Capacchione: On a blank sheet of paper, color your feelings using your non-dominant hand. Simple enough. I did it and it felt oddly moving. The idea behind using your non-dominant hand is that it accesses the side of your brain (for most people, this would be their right brain) that is emotional, creative, and child-like; it bypasses the logical analysis of the dominant side of the brain (for most people, the left).
I also tried writing my name over and over in Hebrew letters using my non-dominant hand. It brought me to a really peaceful and childlike place. Or try these cool exercises.
Would you like to color in a coloring book? Here are a few that I found that actually seem non-stressful.
Pattern Play. A coloring book for adults with space for real coloring.
Drawing Your Stress Away. An open-ended book of coloring prompts by Lucia Capacchione, mentioned above.
The Girls’ Doodle Book. A book of coloring prompts with scenes to complete (ex. draw the king’s feast). It’s very simple and sweet. Note: I found it at my local Amazing Savings for $2.
Do you like to color?
