Stress is probably one of the worst feelings in our lives. It is quite essential to relieve ourselves from stress, as this feeling does not have a positive effect on us human beings. This deeply affects our brain and causes premature brain aging, negative changes to our behavior and feelings, feelings of anxiety, high blood pressure, and also can cause other health problems. However, there are many ways a person is able to relieve their stress, and one of these is adult coloring books. This coloring book craze has led to coloring to be considered as a new form of art therapy.

Of course, this therapy could be seen as a potentially juvenile due to people thinking coloring books are just for young kids who are barely about to start school. On the other hand, these certain “coloring books” have really proven to help numerous people with relieving stress. The process is simple: a person is given a certain drawing that may look super confusing at first, but it is especially satisfying once one gets the chance to color the whole picture. Usually, the pictures look messy, they seem like there is no way to transform them into something beautiful, and then the excessive details make it seem like the action of coloring takes so much effort when in reality, the effort is so worth it. Coloring therapy serves people good due to the effect of allowing one’s stress to progressively go away.

For example, a reasonably popular type of coloring design that one may find sitting on the shelves are the mandalas. Mandalas are geometric figures which represent the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism. These geometric figures include countless, little lines that create a complex design that looks a bit complicated. The mandalas are considered quite effective in the state of trying to reduce one’s stress because of these time-consuming details because the completion of these designs are all the more satisfying.

“From my experience, I remember actually feeling super stressed and not knowing how to ‘fix’ it. Then, I realized the stress relieving coloring books were ‘a thing’ and I decided to try it out. It was a great decision to do so because I felt such relief after that” explains Shannon Koo (10). In the end, reducing one’s stress is the best way to go and this can be achieved by a simple art therapy with coloring books.