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5 Reasons Why Colouring-in May Be Good for Your Health!

It’s the trend that has taken bookshops by storm globally, and sales of colouring-in books for adults don’t show any signs of slowing any time soon. If you are yet to get comfy with a tin of pencils and a book of your own you may be wondering what the big attraction is, besides feeling like a five year old again.

You may be surprised to learn than besides being fun (what adult couldn’t use an extra dose of that in their lives), it’s may also have certain health benefits. Yes! You read that right. Colouring-in may be good for your health.

Here are 5 excellent reasons to get your hands on a colouring-in book stat:

1. Whilst you may think that colouring-in for adults is just a passing fad, the theory that it has benefits for mental health has been around for a long time. In fact famous psychologist Carl Jung prescribed colouring-in of intricate mandalas for his psychiatry patients as a part of their therapy!
2. Colouring-in releases stress and anxiety by allowing the fear centre of your brain (which is often over-stimulated in those suffering from stress and anxiety) to relax. By allowing the area of the brain called the amygdala to rest and enter an almost meditative state, you can retrain it to respond less harshly to stress, reducing your stress overall.
3. Just the simple act of staying between the lines trains your brain to focus – and opens the frontal lobe of the brain responsible for organising and problem solving. Allowing yourself to put all the stresses and strains of life aside for an hour – while focusing in a relaxed way, allows you to live in the moment (a skill that is increasingly difficult in our technological world).
4. Colouring-in requires the two hemispheres of your brain to communicate, and can improve your fine motor skills and vision. This mental stimulation can be beneficial in older individuals to delay or prevent the early onset of dementia, much the same way crosswords and puzzles do.
5. Reminiscing on happy childhood memories may be good for your mental health too. University of Southampton, UK, researchers found that looking back in time can help maintain feelings of worth and contribute to a brighter outlook on life. So let the nostalgia wash over you as you remember colouring-in as a child.

What are you waiting for? Put these health benefits to the test today by downloading this FREE Downloadable More Mindfulness Colouring sample

Already hooked? Get your copy of More Mindfulness Colouring from Dymocks today – RRP $16.95)