The simple pleasures of childhood are too easily lost as we age. In France, women are discovering something every child intrinsically knows – the joy and therapeutic benefits of art.
Colouring-in books for adults are now an enormous market in many countries, as grown-ups with long hours in stressful jobs unwind and lose themselves in the gentle precision of filling a blank space with colour.
The pages of adult colouring books contain more detailed and intricate pictures than those made for children. The point is not to produce a masterpiece for the fridge but to focus wholly on a new, therapeutic task and forget the worries of day-to-day life.
If printed lines and crayons aren't your thing, consider a few canvasses and some cheap acrylic paint. I like to use this form of colour therapy when I'm feeling "off" but can't pinpoint why; I bring out my paints and splash whatever I want on the paper, and soon enough I can see it - angry red stripes, or stressed people, or a dark sky. Everything I could not put into words. Not only does this help me understand my emotions, the very act of self-expression is cathartic.
Perhaps it’s time we return to life’s simplest pleasures and unwind the way our inner child wants to.
#stress
#therapy