During the late 1800s, origami was introduced to the Japanese education system as a method of improving concentration and patience in children. The Colour Yourself Calm: A Mindfulness Colouring Book includes a beginner’s guide to practicing simple mindfulness techniques whilst coloring. De Dreu, C.K.W., Nijstad, B.A., Baas, M.,Wolsink, I., & Roskes, M. (2012).Working memory benefits creative insight, musical improvisation, and original ideation through maintained task-focused attention. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 656–669. There are a number of different types of colouring books, and they are generally named after the types of design that they have within them. Some of the most popular are Geometric, Floral, Animal, Nature and Patterned. This first and most important stage is, in essence, mindful thinking. A problem is consciously investigated using imaginative, divergent thinking (a method of generating creative ideas by exploring the many possible solutions).

Bell, C. E., & Robbins, S. J. (2007). Effect of art production on negative mood: A randomized, controlled trial. Art Therapy, 24(2), 71-75.

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Results indicated that spontaneous mind-wandering (experiencing unintentional engagement of unguided thoughts) decreased the likelihood of creative performance, whereas deliberate mind-wandering (an effortful, intentional engagement of unguided thoughts) positively predicted creative performance. Being non-critical can be difficult, but the absence of judgment is an intrinsic part of mindful practice. Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest and Coloring book is primed for coloring – including the front cover. Greenhalgh, W.A. (2016). Mindfulness & the Art of Drawing: A Creative Path to Awareness. U.K.: The Ivy Press. If anxiety is a type of ‘inner chaos’ (Grossman, 1981), it seems likely that a structured activity such as coloring a predetermined, complex design would help to organize that chaos.

Peterson (2014) suggested that mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) improves the attention, memory, decision-making skills and the physical and mental wellbeing of cancer patients, even after a relatively short eight-week program. The choice of media depends on your personal preferences: crayons, colored pencils, marker pens or watercolor pens. Fine-point pens or colored pencils are a good place to begin, as they are easy to use and have a nice point for more intricate areas. Remember, there are no rules for coloring and no need for perfection As we search for ways to cultivate mindfulness, there is an almost innate understanding that engagement with the arts is a valuable route to take.

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Babouchkina, A., & Robbins, S. J. (2015).Reducing negative mood through mandala creation: A randomized controlled trial. Art Therapy,32(1),34-39. Think outside the box. There are many techniques that can encourage more abstract creative thinking. Drawing using only straight lines, with the pencil never leaving the paper, or using dots instead of traditional shading techniques will add a new dimension to drawing that can help improve focus. Within chromo-therapy (also known as color therapy) it is proposed that the seven visible colors of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and indigo) can enliven the mood or quieten it (Birren, 2013). It is suggested that blue tones are linked to calmness, while indigo encourages creative visualization. Why not try using different colors and see if you find them more calming or energizing than others? Furthermore, it was suggested that deliberate mind-wandering and mindfulness predicted creative behavior, both alone and in combination, suggesting a complex interdependence between the two within the creative thinking process.

It may come as no surprise to those who already engage in artistic pursuits that practicing mindfulness through art has a multitude of benefits and positive outcomes. Handmade paper was seen as a luxury and so origami was initially restricted to ceremonial purposes due to the expense of the material. It is important that you stay in the present moment and remain non-judgmental about your own abilities. Avoid thinking about previous experiences, telling yourself that you can’t draw and thinking too much about the end result will take you out of the moment.However, coloring also has a deep impact on the mental well-being of both children and adults. Adults can control stress and anxiety through the use of coloring. Muthard, C., & Gilbertson, R. (2016). Stress management in young adults: Implications of mandala coloring on self-reported negative affect and psychophysiological response. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 21(1), 16-28. By letting go of pre-conceived ideas, we can start to see things as they truly are. Some artists say that you never really see a person until you draw them. It’s certainly true that drawing from real life can open your eyes to a whole world of detail that you never noticed before. A separate study focused on coloring geometric designs found that participants experienced less anxiety due to the meditative state induced by coloring. Mantzios, M., & Giannou, K. (2018). When Did Coloring Books Become Mindful? Exploring the Effectiveness of a Novel Method of Mindfulness-Guided Instructions for Coloring Books to Increase Mindfulness and Decrease Anxiety. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 56.