One of the hottest trends in the book world today is coloring books for adults. These coloring books are displayed front and center in every bookstore I enter and I wonder how they achieved such widespread appeal. It turns out that the process of coloring is similar to meditation. Because your attention is directed toward selecting colors, staying within the lines, and bringing an image to life, you distract yourself from worries, thoughts, emotions and life’s problems.

Coloring is a form of stress relief in itself, but the process has many subtleties that can help you reach a deeper level of calmness. For instance, cool shades such as green, blue, and purple have a natural calming influence on your mind. You can also use coloring to reduce stress during short periods of the day. Instead of playing the frustrating new puzzle app on your phone while you are seated in a waiting room, you can use a coloring app or pull out a wallet-size coloring book and crayons from you bag. Although coloring books for adults are filled with intricate details, you can carry the books along with you to help reduce your stress in fifteen minutes here and there. Finally, coloring provides you the opportunity use your imagination and tap into creative processes that you may have not have used since your elementary school years. So if coloring is one of your favorite pastimes from your childhood, consider stopping at your local bookstore to purchase a coloring book and crayons. It can help you unwind at the end of the day and is less strenuous than getting on the elliptical machine to relieve stress.