Growing up, you must have at one point or the other been forced to take part in colouring. At the time, some of us enjoyed it while others didn’t. Whatever the case, there is no doubt that colouring is good for you. If not anything at all, colouring helps a child to be able to distinguish the different colours, and in so doing, they are able to simulate the creative centres in their mind.

But what if I told you that colouring is not just a good activity for children, but also for adults? Spending time focusing on a particular drawing or object can help you in more ways than you may imagine.

Here are six reasons why colouring is good for everyone, even adults.

1. Reduces stress and anxiety

Adulting can be something else. Between working, paying bills, and trying to improve your standards of living, it becomes almost inevitable that you experience stress. Colouring can help ease your stress and anxiety. “You’re not disturbed by your own thoughts and appraisals,” says clinical psychologist Scott Bea. “The difficulties of life evaporate from your awareness, and both your body and your brain may find this rewarding.”

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2. Helps you to practice mindfulness

If you realise that you are easily distracted and unable to concentrate on important processes, then colouring may just be the answer for you. Colouring has the ability to relax the fear centre of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind. This generates mindfulness and quietness, which allows your mind to get some rest after a long day at work.

3. Improves your vision

Issues to do with eyesight are becoming more and more common nowadays, and especially because we spend a lot more time behind screens. The process of colouring goes beyond being a fun activity for relaxation. It requires the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate. While logic helps us stay inside the lines, choosing colours generates a creative thought process.

4. Improve sleep

If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep at night, then you might just want to try colouring as a healthy practice to induce your sleep. How does this work? Many of us struggle to sleep because our minds are overworking. It can be hard to find an activity that can calm our minds and remove us from the chaos of our usual day. Colouring allows us to do this.

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5. Improves motor skills

Motor skills refer to the body’s ability to manage the process of movement. To execute motor skills, a person’s brain, muscles, and nervous system must all work together. Since the act of colouring combines logic and creativity, it requires the use of both vision and fine motor skills. Choosing which colours to use, staying inside the lines, and creating patterns train your brain to develop more efficient fine motor skills.

6. It allows you to create more than you consume.

Unplugging from technology promotes creation overconsumption. We spend so much time browsing the internet and absorbing unfiltered information. That can’t be good for your health. The good thing about colouring is that it helps you unplug from your devices and focus on creating something beautiful.

Check out The Mental Health Benefits Of Doodling And Why You Should Start Doing It

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