Adult Coloring Books in the Workplace

In the business world, it’s important employees express their creative side. One great way to do that is through adult coloring books. Adult coloring books are trending right now all over the world. According to CNN, the top selling books on Amazon have featured multiple adult coloring books this year.

We decided to try coloring in between our tasks to discover the potential benefits. Here’s what we found:

It’s easy to access.
The great thing about coloring books is that you can do it at your own desk and at your own time. We found it very convenient to move our computers and paperwork aside and color for 10 minutes. You can get them at any store like Target, Walmart or even the dollar store. They don’t have to be huge, fancy coloring books. You can also buy them online  .

Coloring relaxes and minimizes stress.
Coloring makes you feel like a little kid again.  In an article,from the Huffington Post, psychologist Gloria Martínez Ayala states that coloring “brings out our imagination and takes us back to our childhood, a period in which we most certainly had a lot less stress.”

It’s therapeutic and puts you in a daze so to speak, where you focus on coloring instead of everything else that is on your mind. It serves as a break in between tasks to rejuvenate. According to Dr. Stan Rodski in an article from Medical Daily, “ Like mediation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment. Tasks with predictable results, such as coloring or knitting, can often be calming.”

It stimulates a creative flow.
Coloring also helps you focus on something else in order to open up your mind to fresh ideas when you’re stuck on a task and can’t seem to move forward. Using different colors can evoke certain thoughts and emotions that can help in the brainstorming process for new concepts at work.

It’s affordable.
Coloring books cost between $1-$10 dollars. That’s not too much to spend on something that can help relieve stress and clear your head throughout the work day.

You can share your art with your coworkers when you’re done too. If you wanted to, you could even have little coloring contests in the break room at work.

Your coloring book doesn’t have to be an “adult” coloring book. You are an adult and that is your coloring book. If you want to color pictures of the Avengers or Lisa Frank, go for it! Just sit back and color while the relaxation kicks in.

Thank you to my co-intern, Alejandra Ascanio, for coauthoring this blog with me. It was so much fun doing this experiment together! Learn more about Alejandra at @ally_ascanio.