If you’re not finding mindfulness in yoga, or Saturday night wine, there’s a new option: colouring books for adults.
But they aren’t those giant colouring books we had as kids, full of fairies and flowers. These are specifically targeted at adults to help relieve stress and practice mindfulness. They strip away multi-tasking and technology and force people back to focusing on one small task.
And they are quickly becoming some of the most popular books around. Adult colouring books are currently in the top 20 on Amazon’s bestseller list. And on Book Depository they make the top five.
Author and illustrator of The Mindfulness Colouring Book (it's at number 4 on Book Depository's bestseller list) Emma Farrarrons says she finds it soothing.
She writes on her blog: "There is something comforting about picking up a pencil and drawing. I forget about everything around me. I'm in the moment, feeling the blank sheet underneath the nib, hearing the sound of the lead scratching the surface of the paper.
"To me, it's the same with colouring-in. Maybe it's a feeling of childhood nostalgia, spending a day filling in scenes, choosing the next colouring pencil ... hours free from thought."
Debrief Daily's Mia Freedman says colouring in is refreshing and distracting. Listen to her talk about her new obsession on the Mamamia OutLoud podcast below:
If, like us you feel inspired to dip your toes into the world of adult colouring, we have a few suggestions:
1. Coloring Mandala for Meditation: 200 Original Illustrations. Buy here.
2. Enchanted Forrest by Johanna Basford. Buy here.
3. Colourtation Anti-Stress Colouring Book For Adults: Volume 1, Stan Rodski, Jack Dowling. Buy here.
4. The Creative Therapy Colouring Book, Hannah Davies, Richard Merritt, Jo Taylor. Buy here.
5. Colour Yourself Calm: A Mindfulness Colouring Book, Tiddy Rowan. Buy here.
6. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book, Johanna Basford. Buy here.
Have you tried adult colouring in books? Would you like to?
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