Color Me Happy


In the hustle of daily life and the stress of home-work-life balance, reaching a state of mental clarity is crucial. Repetitive actions and simple tasks can help corral the mind’s thoughts and promote focus. While many activities and methods exist which incorporate these concepts, coloring can be done by almost anyone at any time.

Coloring is a simple activity that encourages attentiveness to the task at hand. When the mind focuses on the repetitive actions involved in coloring it tends to push other thoughts aside. The act of coloring reinforces attention and task focusing.

At the same time that coloring is strengthening the ability to focus, it also helps reduce stress and anxiety. By focusing on the motions of coloring and the details involved with putting color into shapes, the mind lets go of other thoughts to give priority to the coloring task. Letting go of those thoughts, or at least setting them aside, helps the body to let go of the stress and anxiety associated with those thoughts.

Simple, repetitive action can help the mind to enter a meditative state. Meditation is known for inducing relaxation. The repetitive motion of coloring can ease a person into a mental state similar to meditation, helping them to relax and improve their mental health.

Coloring also supports fine motor and visual skills. Holding a crayon or colored pencil, applying it to a specific part of a paper, and having to switch tools and spots for different colors, strengthens the small muscles in the hands and eyes. The focus on using a writing utensil to achieve a specific color on the paper helps to maintain hand-eye coordination as well.

There is a creative element involved in coloring. The user chooses their colors, including the patterns the colors will follow, if any. These choices invoke the creative parts of the brain and permit the person to express themselves and demonstrate their creativity.

Coloring is a simple exercise that supports a high quality-of-life by improving or maintaining focus, relaxation, hand-eye coordination skills, and creativity. Try incorporating coloring into your daily routines and see how it helps you! 

Information for this blog was pulled from https://www.ncu.edu/blog/top-7-benefits-coloring#gref