Finding Zen through Adult Coloring Books

Adult coloring books are not simply about unleashing your inner child — they have proven health and wellness benefits.

Hello, friend! Welcome to a new edition of From Art to Zen. I’m so glad you’re here!

Today, I introduce you to what I call a “gateway” art activity that’s super simple and low key. And, according to research, as little as 10-20 minutes may help relieve anxiety and depression.

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The Adult Coloring Book Craze Was Short-Lived, but the Health Benefits Are Here to Stay

When I first heard about adult coloring books, a few months before the pandemic, I thought it was the stupidest idea. I mean, why? Why would a grown-up “revert” to such a childish activity?

Fast-forward to 2023, and I had become a complete convert, having gone through multiple coloring books and sets of gel pens.

I was so obsessed, my family gifted me coloring books for Christmas. I even started titling my finished creations with names like “Mermaid on Fire,” “Angel’s Dream,” and “The Lost Poet.” (Looking back at titles like “Metamorphosis,” “Too Soon,” or “The Dark Side” makes me wonder what was going through my mind).

What I didn’t know at the time was that adult coloring books went bonkers around 2015, climbing to the top of book bestseller lists — selling 3 million copies in December alone. The marketplace went wild with these books, featuring everything from Game of Thrones and Harry Potter to swear words. Publishers scrambled to keep up with demand. Apparently, there was even a global shortage of coloring pencils.

Like most fads, the adult coloring books craze waned. Within a couple of years, it left only the die-hards behind to keep the flame alive — and introduce the idea to curious bystanders like me.

(Luckily, nobody told Ryan Reynolds the mania was over; otherwise, the 80 glorious pages of “Crush and Color: Ryan Reynolds: Colorful Fantasies with a Sexy Charmer” may have never been born.)

What the devoted fans didn’t tell me was that a). coloring books are addictive and b). there are documented studies showing their positive impacts on health.

A tiny part of my collection of coloring books and gel pens.

This activity requires very little commitment, yet it can be as creative and meditative as any other form of art. Which is why I think of coloring books as a “gateway” to expressive arts.

[Fun fact: In the United States, adult coloring books are said to have been born in 1960s — as a way of making a political statement.]

Three reasons to try a coloring book

Luckily, we don’t need fads to explore and embrace activities that nurture us. So, even if the masses have moved on, I encourage you to try out an adult coloring book. Here’s just three reasons why.

1. Impact on health and wellness

As oblivious as I was to the wellness aspect, intuitively I realized that coloring had magical powers.

Being a big multi-tasker at the time (I have since quit), I would color while watching a TV show. But the show would quickly turn into white noise as I became enthralled by the process of filling in the little sections on page with bright colors. The world disappeared and time dissolved as I focused my complete attention on making a new image unfold.

There’s a good reason I was feeling chill and in the zone during those short sessions.

Tons of medical research suggests that coloring is not only good for relaxation but also has therapeutic benefits like stress relief. Part of the reason is that coloring has a meditative and mindfulness quality to it, activating the same physiological responses in the brain as meditation.

What’s even better is that it doesn’t take a lot of time to experience the impact.

As little as 20 minutes in a structured coloring activity reduces anxiety (one study found even 10 minutes effective for fighting depression). Multiple studies have also found that coloring mandalas, in particular, is the most effective (more on mandalas in a future post).

2. Simple — and portable

Of all the possible art activities, coloring in a book is one of the simplest. It’s simple because:

• You need only two things: a page to color (which can be as small as postcard size) and your coloring device of choice.

• There’s no mess to clean up (except, possibly, a pile of books and hundreds of gel pens, as it happens in my case).

• You don’t need any space — even your lap will do.

Plus, it gets bonus points for portability.

You can take a handful of short coloring pencils and some small-size coloring pages almost anywhere. Just throw this little anti-stress kit into your backpack, suitcase, or even purse. (Not that you need more stuff in there, but what’s a few more pencils?) Imagine whipping out a page and getting into your zen zone before a big meeting or presentation. Just sayin’.

These coloring books (a gift from a friend, a freebie from the Arbor Day Foundation, and a gift from my son, respectively) can easily fit in my purpose. I may just bring one along on my next trip and color while waiting for my flight.

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3. Expressive

If coloring someone else’s pattern doesn’t sound like “art,” search online for people’s finished pages. You’ll find oodles of incredibly beautiful work.

Coloring a pre-made design is every bit an expression of your creativity as is painting on a blank canvas. Give a hundred people the same drawing to color, and no two finished pieces will be alike.

Your choices of colors, the color combinations, and the textures you create with the strokes are uniquely yours. So, if you’re feeling called to express yourself and are not sure where to start, this is as good a place as any — and practically free if not very inexpensive.

How to get started

As I mentioned earlier, you need just two things to give this a try: something to color on and something to color with. (And yes, you can get an app to color with a tap and delete colors on a whim. Trust me, it’s not nearly as satisfying.)

If you’re not sure that you’ll like coloring, you can dip your toes in with free, printable pages. Various websites, from Crayola to Creative Color Lab offer them, so all you have to do is search online.

If you already decided you’re all in, you can buy a book online for around $20 or less. I prefer the ColorIt mandala series and have three of four of these — the pages are nice and thick so they won’t bleed, and are also spiral-bound, making the books super nice to use. Or check with your favorite book shop or local department store. I also love this Adult Mandala Coloring Book created by fellow Substacker Elizabeth Cunniff, who writes about integrating creativity in our everyday lives.

As to what to color with, it’s a matter of personal preference.

Got kids or grandkids? See if you can “borrow” some colored pencils, markers, or even crayons and figure out which medium feels good to you before investing in it.

Personally, I like the vibrancy and easy flow of gel pens, while other people use coloring pencils, art markers (double-tipped are nice, giving you two different thicknesses), or alcohol markers. Just keep in mind that some mediums will bleed more than others so you may want thicker paper for those.

I hadn’t opened my coloring books in a while since I moved on to collage and painting. But some days, as I walk past my stash in my closet, I feel a hint of nostalgia for those care-free minutes when I sat on my couch creating bold and vibrant color combinations with titles like “The Impostor,” “Fire Goddess,” and “Jupiter’s Umbrella.”

One of these days, I won’t be able to resist the call and get back into it. I know this because, like with any “good-for-you” obsession, one never simply quits.