Coloring book therapy for adults

Busy, hardworking adults will go to great lengths to find the time to unwind and relax and just take it easy. Some are now turning to a new stress-reducer that is gaining popularity and is something that most people haven’t done since elementary school — coloring.

Yes, seriously, coloring. As in coloring book, coloring. As it turns out, coloring is therapeutic.

MUST READ: 8 Ways To Unwind After Work

Producers of coloring books for adults can’t seem to print them fast enough.

Illustrator, Johanna Basford’s “Secret Garden” is in the top ten on Amazon’s Best Seller list, ahead of Harper Lee’s much anticipated “Go Set a Watchman.” And Basford’s two coloring books are entirely sold out, as are illustrator, Lisa Congdon’s three “Just Add Color” books.

“The popularity of coloring books right now is part of that larger movement to break away from the hustle and bustle of life and sort of the internet you know this urge to constantly look at our phone or our computer or check our email,” said Congdon.

Shyla Jannusch’s adult-themed facebook group, called “Coloring for All,” has gained nearly 1,500 members in less than three months. Jannusch said she is able to “shut the whole world off when I’m into my coloring book,” but…

…part of the appeal of coloring is that the activity engages the brain to a degree. “When I am coloring, I get to use my mind. I’m choosing colors, I’m figuring out shading,” she said.

Officially, experts recommend a series of 52 stress reducers — and coloring is one of them. Others include disconnecting from phones, talking problems out with friends, focusing on one thing at a time, simplifying and doing something enjoyable.

“It allows us to be innocent again, in some respects,” said Jannusch, who added that one of the biggest perks of coloring is that people of any age can tap into that nostalgia. And free pages that can be printed off the internet allow even more people access to the benefits, she said.

“I always say, you need crayons and your imagination,” Jannusch said. “Anybody can do this.”