Mindfulness through adult coloring books
I’ve been enjoying adult coloring books since 2016. There is something wonderfully meditative and relaxing about it. Selecting the colors, starting at a certain spot and seeing what happens next. I make a plan for how I want a design to turn out sometimes it goes through. But I’m pleasantly surprised when the colors / pattern end up somewhere else. I often have a podcast, audio book or music going as well but listening to the birds is equally as pleasant. I’ll light incense or use essential oils. This is a whole vibe! Sitting on my rooftop deck at my home in the Baltimore neighborhood of Canton on a springtime (or fall!) evening with a fresh coloring book is total bliss to me. I love mandala pages and I’ll use markers or colored pencils (a more eco friendly option to the plastic of markers)
Growing up, I was never labeled as “creative.” I was energetic (read: hyper AF) and loved being outside. I was constantly in motion and running around…I didn’t have an “inside voice.” I got kicked out of dance class when I was 4 years old because I was hanging upside down on the ballet bar not participating quietly like the other little girls. I played flute for a year in 5th grade (I really wanted to play the drums but my parents weren’t having it) but never found the joy in it. Arts and music just weren’t “my thing.” Even as an adult, we’d do those “Paint Nite” events where you are taught how to paint and mine was always the worst in the group. Like actually awful in the funniest way possible. I once had a co-worker ask if my painting was a cry for help. (Answer: Probably, yes)
A blank canvas feels overwhelming, even if someone is talking me through the process. But I don’t want someone to tell me what to do. I want to explore it for myself (Gemini vibes coming in strong…all about curiosity) When I sit down to color a mandala page or anything else for that matter, it’s like I have a container for the creativity. The general outline, the shape, is already there for me. I can be creative within the fixed space. This is the yin within the yang. I need this direction because without it, I either wouldn’t get started or would give up to early. Coloring gives me the creativity with mindfulness.
I love this definition of mindfulness from Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” Mindfulness is about awareness, attention and attitude.
Sometimes I’ll color 3+ pages in a single session. Sometimes I color until it gets cold outside and I want to come in for a hoodie or its’s just too dark. Sometimes I color for hours until it’s time for bed. The volume of work produced doesn’t matter, it’s about being in the present moment: the pencil in my hand, the colors moving across the page. It is relaxing at the same time as being stimulating. Again, it’s the yin within the yang. And I find great balance and peace here.
What’s interesting is to notice my negative self-talk during a coloring session. If a section doesn’t turn out how I hoped or if I color outside the lines, I’ll think, “ugh you fool, you messed that up!” Or if my dog bumps my hand because she wants to be petted, thus moving color where it shouldn’t be (not uncommon, Camden loves to do this!) There is a distraction, something that throws me off kilter. Like during meditation when the siren wails outside, there’s a knock at the door or something else that pulls my mind away. There isn’t an error, but rather a chance to learn. This is where the real magic happens, I drop in and observe the mind. When I notice this negativity in the form of criticism in the creative process it gives me a chance to witness that I am speaking to myself with judgement. Is the goal to make a masterpiece that I will sell for $1M and become a famous artist? Surely not! So why then do I speak to myself like a drill sergeant when this simply isn’t necessary. And even if I was a famous mandala coloring expert? I still don’t need the angry, judgmental inner dialogue. The voice that says, “you’re not good enough” or “who do you think you are?” This voice pops up during meditation, coloring and nearly everywhere else in my life. The journey is noticing it and coming back to the present moment without judgment.
This pause is an invitation to slow down, put down the marker / pencil and let go of the judgement. Then I breathe deeply, pick up the marker / pencil (or pet my dog because she’s such a good girl) and begin again without the judgment. We can always begin again, always start over. When we notice the thinking mind either in formal meditation or coloring we can gently, with compassion say to ourselves, “come back friend” and return to non-judgmental awareness.
Do you enjoy adult (or heck even kids!) coloring books?
How do you express yourself creatively as a form of mindfulness.
When you catch yourself in a moment of judgment how do you come back to the present moment?
Disclaimer: I’m not an art therapist or a psychologist. I do not have training in these modalities although I surely respect them. Rather, I hope to share something with you through a new lens of creativity in the event it serves you.