One of my favorite things to do as a child was to color in coloring books. I’m not sure if it is because I wanted to foster my inner desire to be artistic, or if my very detailed self just loved having to stay within the lines and being able to control what color I used and what picture I chose.
Regardless, coloring was always kind of a form of therapy for me. I remember as a child, when my dad would get home from work we would lay on the floor every single night and color in our respective coloring books. It was something special that the two of us did. And now looking back, he really enjoyed {and needed} that cool down period from work, I really enjoyed the structure and the stress relief it gave me from a day full of being a kid, and of course we valued that time together.
So why is it that we don’t still do this?
We often associate coloring just with being a kid, but this is far from true. Coloring is now working its way into the adult world and might actually be something useful for you in your recovery.
No, I’m not talking about resurrecting your childhood coloring book – although you could if you wanted to. But what I really mean is you should grab one – or a few – of the adult coloring books. You can order these online and even find them in some bookstores.
Adult coloring books are far, far more detailed than your average childrens’ coloring book and they are absolutely therapeutic. They are so detailed that you can color one single page for hours. I have even started a page and not been able to finish it before in one sitting.
The magical experience is that it is so detailed and such a large picture, you actually find yourself putting serious thought into the colors, the picture, and the overarching end product. You will find yourself putting so much thought into this in fact, you will forget about everything else.
I will often turn on some soft music or a television show in the background and just color until I can’t color anymore.
Really, you should try it.
So if you are looking for a healthy and stress relieving activity to help you with your addiction recovery, go grab yourself a coloring book.
Share your experience with us in the comments.
