This week has been another chaotic one, however, I was able to find time yesterday to do some colouring! I have always loved colouring, so when adult colouring books became super popular a few years ago you bet your bottom dollar I got a few. :)) Unfortunately, I did leave my colouring books at home in Calgary, so I printed a fall-themed page I found online! With Halloween right around the corner, I figured the pumpkin was perfect.

I think in total, this colouring sheet took me around an hour and a half. While colouring, I listened to music and really took time to decompress and relax (before that I spent 5 hours in the library…) I really enjoyed being able to colour the pumpkin however I wanted and not be worried too much about the result. I also really enjoyed not having to think of a design myself… really helps take some of the stress off. Though I really do enjoy drawing/ doodling/ creating my own art and designs, some days ya just need to colour and yesterday was one of those days. Even though I found colouring very relaxing, near the end I was finding it a little bit boring. I’m not sure if that’s because I was anxious to see the finished product or if I was just simply bored of colouring with reds, oranges, and yellows (my own fault) but I was getting a tad antsy. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed colouring this pumpkin as it forced me to take time to just sit, think, and listen to music (which was much needed)

Colouring has also been shown to decrease test anxiety in university students along with other mental health and well-being benefits. Colouring is such a great way to reduce stress and evoke childhood emotions in adults and it really forces you to be present and in the moment. Some say that colouring is not a form of art therapy because it does not rely on the relationship between the client and their expression through art, but this does not take away from the meditation-like and stress-relieving properties it has. Brain imaging has suggested that colouring (and activities likewise) calm down our amygdala (the part responsible for fight or flight) and relax the brain. Because of how stress-reducing it is, some use colouring as a form of therapeutic meditation. To the right are some resources that provide more information on the mental health benefits of adult colouring books––super fascinating!

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A517636271/CPI?u=uvictoria&sid=summon&xid=d7d8b6fa

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A408788847/CPI?u=uvictoria&sid=summon&xid=907cc8c2

Dana Carsley MEd & Nancy L. Heath PhD (2020) Effectiveness of mindfulness-based coloring for university students’ test anxiety, Journal of American College Health, 68:5, 518-527, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1583239

World zentangle!

In the past, I’ve been really into zentangling as well! Above is my favourite doodle I’ve ever done so I thought I’d share it! I did this when I was in grade 10 I believe.

without colour!

This week, as well as colouring, I thought I’d make my own little design and colour it! I used Micron felt tip pens and alcohol-based Copic markers! This was so much fun to do and I must say, I do feel less stressed after drawing this. Drawing my own design gave me so much creative freedom and I was able to doodle anything I wanted! Though I was slightly stressed about how the end result would turn out I was still able to have so much fun with this and I definitely enjoyed doodling my own design more than simply colouring in the colouring sheet.

With colour/ the end result!