{"id":631133,"date":"2026-10-15T06:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/631133\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T06:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:40:10","slug":"book-coloring-for-anxiety-can-it-fix-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/631133\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Coloring for Anxiety: Can It Fix It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

All I had to do was buy some markers and purchase one of those cozy adult coloring<\/a> books, and the promise of improved mental health, less anxiety, and perhaps, better sleep, seemed like a real possibility.<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> suggests that book coloring can relieve anxiety, and the mechanism of that seems easy to grasp. Sitting down and coloring away may keep unwanted thoughts<\/a> at bay, or quite the opposite, allow us to explore new ways of thinking about solving a problem, or just filing away appointments or reminders and picking apart the details of a convoluted conversation. It seemed relaxing and doable, even for someone with a one-year-old at home who demands constant entertainment.<\/p>\n

Out in town to buy nappies and formula, I stopped at the stationery shop for a coloring book for adults. There are multiple options, and their glossy covers and cute illustrations would probably appeal to my one-year-old, too, which is what comes to mind as I leaf through one of them, mesmerized by teddy bears holding hands and balloons made of cotton candy.<\/p>\n

Some of them were more intricate, with detailed patterns and complicated designs that would probably take more concentration, so I swerved back to the cozy bears with their hearts and loving gazes without a second thought.<\/p>\n

I knew next to nothing about which markers I needed or whether the paper was good quality, so I paced around quietly, then found a starter kit for adult coloring that included both the markers and the coloring book, with two adorable bears holding hands and balloons on the front cover. I was pleased, and so the first week passed by while I was coloring away with my newfound toy.<\/p>\n

Finding time to do it was my next challenge, so I decided to dedicate the first 15 minutes before starting work to it, when I would normally turn on my laptop, sort through emails, or gaze out the window at the cloudy sky of northern England.<\/p>\n

Instead, I opened the book, chose my desired illustration (Initially, I just did them all chronologically, but it started to feel forced and monotone, so I decided to take a more haphazard approach), and started coloring away. My mind would empty almost instantaneously as I stared at the color and picked the right marker for the right image.<\/p>\n

Then, just as instantaneously, my mind would fill up with all sorts of thoughts, some related to the drawing I was filling in, others about work, and way too many about my one-year-old, who was playing with my husband in the background and screaming\/screeching, or trying to climb up my chair to steal my markers. The thoughts pleasantly coursed through me, like a soft current or a calm wave.<\/p>\n

The room almost fell silent, and I heard my toddler\u2019s shrieks as if I were submerged underwater while they were still above ground. Seconds later, I was still filling in the drawing and admiring my work. The world was still loud, and my mind was perhaps still a little bit overloaded, but those 15 minutes were enjoyable.<\/p>\n

I felt like I was expertly awake and present while coloring my sweet little bears and floating hearts, but with time, I wondered whether I could make book coloring a bit more fun without losing out on the benefits. I started listening to a podcast, which is something I never really did before. I\u2019m an avid reader and book aficionado, but listening to people talking without the possibility of joining in was never my cup of tea.<\/p>\n

However, three weeks in book coloring and I kind of felt like listening to something, so instead of playing some music, I opted for the sound of people\u2019s voices (some of them very soothing even when the content was rather serious)<\/p>\n

After optimizing my new hobby, I considered whether I\u2019d want to do it long term. There are many coloring books out there, but the illustrations do get repetitive, and the loving bears, cute as they are, do get a little monotonous.<\/p>\n

My experience may be more personal because coloring in makes me think about how I could further move from here, from filling in the pictures with color to designing the pictures myself, or even trying out something entirely different, like painting or sculpting.<\/p>\n

Book coloring undoubtedly made me feel more creative and relaxed, so as a stress-relief option, I can confidently argue that it\u2019s invaluable. For now, without plotting what hobbies I may or may not pick up in the future when motherhood gets easier but no less rewarding, I think book coloring is a perfect tool to have in my stash.<\/p>\n

Book coloring for adults is somehow different than book coloring for kids, as it does come with more expectations, less time, and fewer opportunities to explore your failures. Still, coloring for adults is less about creative expression (although it can certainly be that too) and more a tool you can incorporate in your life to relieve stress and anxiety. <\/p>\n

It might even help you sleep better as a part of a soothing nighttime routine, and the best part is that, however you choose to do it, it\u2019s all entirely up to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All I had to do was buy some markers and purchase one of those cozy adult coloring books,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[134,309362,554,555,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-631133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-i-tried-coloring-for-anxiety","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}