The Many Benefits of Colouring (2021 re-visit)

I’ve been colouring and drawing since I was a child. Even as a little kid, I knew there was something special about creative expression through drawing and colouring. However, there’s always been something uniquely appealing of just colouring in. In 2016, the world experienced a massive in the popularity of adult colouring. Whilst I saw it as a bit of a fad at the time, 6 years on and it’s still as popular as ever. I think people are starting to realise the benefits of colouring and reaching a flow state of mind where their worries disappear as they concentrate on a nice image to colour.

I still do a lot of drawing and colouring now and even make my own colouring pages and so I thought it was about time I wrote a post about the benefits of colouring for your creative expression and mental wellbeing.

I was inspired to write this post because of everything we’ve been through in the last 18 months. During these lockdowns, I’ve never been more creative. I even found myself finally designing my own colouring pages (something I had been putting off for a long time) and I got a fresh set of colouring markers for Christmas. Maybe it’s been my way of coping but drawing and colouring gives me a sense of control in a world that seems so all over the place. As well as the benefits of colouring below, this has to be the biggest benefit of colouring for me personally.

Even as a child, I’ve always had a feeling of total control over my artwork. Having a sense of total control over what I’m creating is a helpful thing when I’m feeling stressed out or anxious.

In this post, I’m going to go over the benefits of colouring so if you’ve been on the fence about buying a colouring book for adults or downloading colouring pages, read on to find out how colouring could benefit you.

The benefits of colouring and why you should pick up a colouring pencil

Benefit #1 – stress relief

It’s the most obvious benefit of colouring but colouring – whether you choose an intricate design, mandala, or one of these printable quotes to color – can effectively relieve stress. You’ve probably heard of anecdotal accounts of people claiming that they ‘just feel more relaxed’ when they’ve been colouring but there’s some hard truth to it too. When I was having a hard time at school, I’d come home and do some drawing and colouring and I’d always feel a lot better. Most subjects at school bored the life out of me and art class was the only time of the week where I felt really engaged in what I was doing, let alone have a feeling of wanting to do well at a subject.

Whilst this study is a little old (2005) it still holds up today. The study found that the 84 students who coloured mandalas and other complex colouring patterns were less stressed and less anxious. Interestingly, it found that colouring in symmetrical patterns showed a that those who took part were pulled into a similar state that is reached through meditation. This study indicated that those who suffer with anxiety might find colouring on a regular basis useful.

From personal experience, I can say that it does help me feel much less anxious. In fact, I usually feel my most anxious when I know I need to do some kind of project and only once I’ve finished it I find myself feeling relieved and satisfied.

Benefit #2 – a worthy project for the brain

Colouring can often be thought of as a child-like exercise that isn’t worth the time when you’re a busy adult. However, this couldn’t be any further from the truth (as well as most other creative activities). Colouring activates both sides of the brain, the creative side and the logic-based side. When you colour, you’re making lots of small decisions like which area to colour first, how that colour will affect the rest of the page and whether you should make your colouring symmetrical.

This makes colouring a highly beneficial exercise for the brain compared to something like filling in spreadsheets which is highly logic focused. When you’re activating both regions of the brain, you’re getting a complex exercise that feels satisfying on completion.

Benefit #3 – achieve a flow state of mind

Another benefit of colouring is that it makes it easy to get into a flow state of mind. If you’re not familiar with the idea, a flow state of mind is when your level of ability lines up with the task at hand perfectly and you’re left motivated and excited to see it through. This could apply to anything you enjoy doing that you don’t particularly find hard. However, colouring is one of the few things that most people find enjoyable and relaxing at the same time and not particularly hard. This makes it a great activity to get into a flow state of mind because the bar of entry is so low.

A flow state of mind is not something most people aren’t aware of but most people might refer to it as being ‘in the zone’, for example. It’s an often-overlooked state of mind that goes under the radar. Most people know they like doing certain things but they’re not particularly sure why. Sometimes it could be because the thing they’re doing is new and exciting but a lot of the time it is because it’s something they enjoy that matches their ability level and they can therefore do it well.

A flow state of mind is important because when you’re in a state of flow, you have little time to think or worry about anything else. The task at hand is intensely immersive and you achieve a mindful state of mind where you’re focused on the present moment.

Benefit #4 – a mindful activity

Whilst a flow state of mind gives you a great sense of enjoyment, mindfulness gives you the sense of being in the present moment – a powerful antidote to the chaotic world around us. Mindfulness can be achieved in many different ways but colouring is easily one of the best and most enjoyable ways. When you engage in colouring, you’re completely focused on the job at hand which is what you need to be mindful and present.

Sometimes colouring can actually be a little frustrating admittedly, especially when you feel you might have made a mistake but on the whole, it’s an exercise in concentrating on the present without judgment.

Benefit #5 – creative freedom

There are lots of ways to be creative but colouring is the easiest way to be creative for most people. Creative expression is something that I focus a lot on in my writing. I believe that adult colouring has become so popular not only because of clever marketing but mostly because it offers a simple way of being creative for adults who are usually bogged down worrying about bills and other things.

Creative pursuits can often be set aside as we age and responsibilities take their place. There’s no denying our responsibilities are important but there has to be room for some form of creative expression from time to time. Even those who feel like they are not creative at all need to express themselves in a creative way whether that’s colouring, building, dancing or singing.

Doing something creative gives you a sense of freedom that everyday life doesn’t. Creativity allows you to be innovative where you may just feel rigid and going through the motions. Colouring is perfect for this. All you need to do is buy a colouring book or download some colouring pages.

Benefits of colouring – conclusion

There’s probably tonnes of other benefits of colouring that I’ve left out but these are the most important ones to me. Colouring is an easy and accessible hobby to pick up and I really feel like anyone could benefit from having some nice colouring pages to get stuck into. There’s loads of books on Amazon that you can get quite cheap or colouring pages you can download. Here’s some that I’ve made if you want some quick and cheap pages to colour. You might just find yourself enjoying something you thought was just for kids!

If anything is clear it’s that the world is an uncertain place. This past 18 months has been difficult for everyone but I believe that everyone can benefit from being a little more creative, especially if you’re stuck at home.