Coloring Books Will Change Your Life Forever 

A fixed tradition dating back to every person’s childhood is a kid’s party dream. I remember when I was a little, crazy, nettlesome child, there was only one gift that I loved receiving for every single birthday that I went to: Coloring Books. I had a towering, beige toned wooden cabinet in the corner of my bedroom, adjacent to my fancy, Mermaid Ariel bed.

This vintage shelf, which I still keep in the corner of my room, was dedicated to only my books, specifically, my fancy princess coloring books. However, as I got older, my passion for using kiddie supplies such as color pencils, crayons and markers transformed into one for high-tech ones like mechanical pencils, electrical erasers, and erasable pencils. I used to color every day in school since my teachers told me to. But I began to wonder why…What is the actual point of coloring? I learned that coloring is not only done for recreational purposes, but also for health and exercises. From relieving anxiety to the improvement of handwriting, coloring has all kinds of positive effects on individuals of all ages. The top three advantages that coloring books give include the reduction of anxiety, the meditative, relaxing and focused state in which the brain enters, while it also helps you perfect your vision and hand-motor skills.

For instance, coloring is proven good exercise for its de-stressing power. According to Marygrace Berberian, a certified art therapist and the Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Graduate Art Therapy Program at NYU, "Coloring definitely has therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus or bring [about] more mindfulness". A study conducted in 2005 by therapists found individuals’ anxiety levels to significantly drop when coloring geometric patterns such as mandalas and paisleys. There were once rumors that simple, recreational sketching and doodling have good effects too, however this is not true. Coloring can notably improve the human brain, the organ that controls most functions of the human anatomy. This fun activity creates a calm environment. It puts our brain into a meditative, and relaxed state. It makes us live in the moment and not have any tensions. Dr. Stan Rodski, a neuropsychologist who released a line of adult coloring books, mentions, “the most amazing things occurred — we started seeing changes in heart rate, changes in brain waves. . . there are three key elements—repetition, pattern, and detail—that prompt positive neurological responses in participants. When you have things that you can predict will happen in a certain way, it's calming for us. ” Anxiety level drops in people result in slower brain waves and an average heart rate. Not only do coloring books affect us internally, but on the outside too. It fines our vision, improves our hand-eye coordination, and hand-motion skills because of the small movements of our hands while in the process of coloring.

Choosing the rights shades and tones to properly holding a color pencil or crayon are all great examples of these abilities. This act of movement exercises and develops our muscles throughout our arms while it also improves our handwriting, which is equally as important. The fatigueness that we feel while coloring teaches us endurance which is necessary when continuously writing for long periods. This endurance is really helpful for timed writings in Junior High and High School. Therefore, these talents are ones to practice on daily.