Suddenly, everywhere you turn, you see coloring books, coloring pages, and coloring sheets for adults. You can find them at book stores, drug stores, and every discount store. What’s all this about?
We live in stressful times, no mistake. Technology adds to our stress. We are the first generation who must cope with these kinds of stresses. Constantly thinking on our feet, our stress is not so much adrenaline-driven, but underlying, constant, like erosion or a slow leak. Now we must deal with whether our device is going to run out of charge before we get our message sent, or a computer crash, or do we have enough bars?, not to mention driving, having to be someplace at a certain time, meeting deadlines, and so much more which, over time, can muck up our well-being.
Having said this, it makes much more sense that a low-tech, creative outlet like coloring can recharge us in an unexpected way. IDEAS.TED.com article, Why Grown-Ups Love Coloring Books Too, by Tom Roston covers our need to release some of the stress through a “meditative mental drift” which he describes as an activity “requiring minimal thought and bestows a clear sense of progress,” like mowing the lawn or weeding. This “drift” method of self-care is restorative. It allows us to dial down the buzzing in our lives, and allow us calmness though a soothing activity. Coloring is low-impact, low-cost, and creative.
He mentions that coloring may not be for everyone. Those of us who find color selection and getting the shades just right too consuming can cause its own level of stress and defeat the purpose. Art therapist Marygrace Berberian suggests something more tactile, like playing with clay, which is pretty goof-proof.
The Steele Library has free coloring sheets at the ready anytime you would like a little tranquility. Pages are located at the Steele library on a table on the second floor, right across from the elevator. We have all kinds of coloring sheets for your own state of meditative drift.
You can also check out colored pencils for use on the premises!
Caroline Poppendeck, Librarian
Steele Memorial Library