My Experience with Mind-Body Practice: Adult Coloring

 

My Experience with Mind-Body Practice: Adult Coloring

Blog Entry 3 

The Impact of Coloring

    My recent experiences with my chosen mind-body practice, coloring, were very effective and beneficial in helping me cope with anxiety and stress. After each instance of coloring, I felt an intangible sense of serenity, akin to the feeling one acquires during meditation, where I was free from stress, anxiety, and overall, at peace. There were no disturbances, such as negative thoughts in my head; my breathing was slower and calmer, my level of mindfulness was at an all-time high, and it became easier to sleep. Although coloring may not seem very advantageous, it has profusely helped me regulate my feelings and emotions as well as set me up for day-to-day activities with a positive attitude, whether that be going to the gym, going to class, doing school work, or starting my day in general. 

Someone coloring an intricate design

    When I first began this mind-body practice, I colored before bed because that’s mainly when I self-reflect and become overwhelmed with emotions and stressed about my success in the future and things I have done or have not done in the past to set myself up for success. Consequently, coloring before bed has helped me focus only on the present and what I can do in the moment to set myself up to achieve the success I so desperately desire. Coloring has helped me not stress about things I can’t really control or predict, but rather what I can do to increase the likelihood of obtaining the desired outcome. When I’m stressed or experiencing anxiety, my hands tend to shake uncontrollably, but I’ve noticed that after I’m done coloring, I no longer shake b

ecause of the stimuli that made my hands start shaking in the first place. With coloring, I’m able to control my thoughts, emotions, and feelings way better than letting them affect me. When my feelings and thoughts are under control, I find that my social relationships are better because I actually want to be around other people or talk to people. When I'm down or in my head a lot, I go into isolation from the outside world, and I don’t want to interact socially, where I begin to feel alone and depressed. So, coloring has significantly reduced the number of times I feel down and want to isolate myself from the world. This all plays into why I say that coloring comes with a feeling of serenity and tranquility. My mind is just calmer with no worries in sight.  

Sleeping peacefully

    Furthermore, when I color before bed, I find it easier to fall asleep, mainly because of the amount of calmness I am under. It helps calm my mind and reduce nighttime anxiety, so when it’s time to go to sleep, I fall asleep almost immediately instead of being in my head while forcing myself to go to sleep as usual. This is because coloring activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows brain waves and creates a sense of relaxation. Coloring also activates the production of melatonin, as I said in my previous blogs, which prepares the brain for deep sleep. I’ve noticed that my sleep pattern has become better, and I’m able to stay asleep the entire night without waking up. As a result, I have more energy when I wake up, and I’m more than ready to start my day. Because coloring gives me peace of mind before bed, I also wake up with a positive attitude that helps me get through the day instead of dragging my feet. Essentially, coloring gives me the ability to go about life positively and actually look forward to my everyday activities. 

Conclusion

    Ultimately, coloring has a significant impact on emotional well-being and mental health as well as cognitive functioning. The time spent coloring encourages attention and impulse control, which can help you cope in challenging situations.