Coloring is No Longer for Children

Photo by Ashley Alonzo

Coloring is often associated with being a children’s activity. However, it has become a powerful way to release stress for young and not-so-young adults.

As people grow older, crayons and coloring books get left aside, leaving an opening for writing and reading like respectable adults.

“At the age of 13, I stopped coloring because I got more involved in other stuff such as sports, music and middle school,” Dominique Vargas said.

Here, coloring might be the solution to your freak-out moments – let’s analyze how coloring releases stress. When coloring, areas around the cerebral hemisphere activate, helping the stimulation of creativity by mix-matching colors in forms and patters.

Camila Mercado, sophomore, said when she needs to write a paper, her mind goes blank, making it difficult for her to even put words to paper.

“I began coloring in college before writing a paper because it relaxes me and helps me to start fresh on a paper. I like coloring on patterns the most because for at least 10 minutes, I focus more on what colors I want to use for each figure. And once I begin writing, I am not as stressed,” Mercado said.

There are more ways to get unstressed, such as cleaning and hand crafts. In fact, Makenna Roa, junior, mentions how cleaning sometimes helps because it gets the mind off other things, yet it can be another stress in itself.

Coloring, in simple terms, has a de-stressing effect. This is because when a person focuses on a particular activity, worries are forgotten and the imagination begins to float.

“I believe coloring generates wellness, quietness and also stimulates the brain areas related to motor skills, my senses and my creativity,” Mercado said.  

So, this might be something you want to try out. Coloring books for adults are the thing right now. This can be your chance to be as happy as a kid and  literally only worry about working inside the lines.