Try Paper Coloring For Stress Relief

The new year is here and everyone is pumped up with all the new possibilities. We are all grateful to have survived the pandemic, with its multiple and long-standing scares. Almost everyone was drained, constantly working and then worrying about being sick or actually being sick.

A lot of people were able to go back to their favorite pastimes and hobbies as a respite from the constant state of stress, be it reading, writing, painting or baking. At ThunderBolt Paper, we love and encourage all things that include art, craft and imagination or creativity. 

Art and craft in particular has been proven to be an excellent medium to find relaxation and channelize one's attention. Lately, drawing, painting and coloring has become a fairly popular choice for a recreational or relaxing activity. Let us explore how art plays an important role in relaxing.

How does art help? 

Have you ever found yourself having a stressful, hard day at work and then while on your way back home you hear your favorite song on the radio, and you smile? In no time you find yourself singing or humming along the song, and you feel better than your whole day. 

This is how art or craft helps as well, here are a few following ways:

Attention shifts 

As you begin to take your attention away from yourself and pay attention to the act in front of you, such as coloring, you can find yourself slowly relaxing and quit thinking about the things you were worrying about all day. In no time, you again feel better by shifting your attention from inside your head to the task at hand without any pressure of performing. 

Improved focus

Askew to participate in an activity that uses both your hands and attention, you find yourself relaxing and focus on what is in front of you. Art and craft requires you to focus and create something beautiful according to your abilities and absence of external expectations similar to the workplace or school.  

Reduced stress

As you begin to enjoy yourself drawing and coloring for creating beautiful objects and sceneries, you will find the whole act of doing anything creative highly meditative. When you decide to go back to such activities over and over, you find it to be helpful in reducing levels of stress. 

Enhance motor skills

Since you are required to focus using your eyes and brain, art and craft activities are exceptionally wonderful in improving motor skills, which means the body learns to synchronize with the mind and muscles required to finish the task. Since you are trying to create something of definite dimensions, shape or size or just trying to color within the lines, help you improve the hand eye coordination as well. 

Have you tried coloring for adults? 

Yes, you read it correctly. Adult coloring can be an excellent way to incorporate art in your life and effectively manage everyday stress too. You can find out for yourself from anyone who practices art or craft as a hobby or profession how relaxing and therapeutic any art activity can be. 

Adult coloring has recently been popularized as an activity that helps reduce stress and induce relaxation.There is a wide range of already printed shapes aur designs that you can find online or buy from a craft shop sold separately as coloring books for adult coloring books. Coloring mandalas is one of the preferred adult coloring activities by many people of all ages.

What you need for adult coloring. 

There isn't much that you need for beginning your adult coloring cathartic journey today. You only need some colors and something you can color. As already mentioned there are already many printed books that are sold in the art section as coloring books but the designs may be a bit more intricate as compared to kids coloring books. You may need: 

Colors pens or pencils 

Color pencils with a variety of shades can be an excellent coloring medium to start with. They are inexpensive and easily available.

You can also invest in colored pens or gel based pens as they have a sharper nib as compared to pencils.

Good quality Paper

You might need a good quality paper that is fit for drawing or coloring and has thickness that provides required opacity. 

Paper thickness can be something to note as you do not want the colors to bleed to the other side. 

Bright white paper or smooth white paper with high brightness can be perfect for bringing out true shade of colors while coloring. 

In the end, it is really up to you when you decide to try something new to unwind and relax in your leisure time but when you do decide to try art, or adult coloring, let us know. We would love to hear about your experience in the comments below.