Colour for Health

This activity is for people who wish to express themselves creatively without the need for artistic flair. There are many reported psychological and emotional health benefits of colouring, something we can all benefit from.

Colouring can work similar to meditation as a means of relaxation, and as a calming tool therefore it is useful in helping combat stress and reducing anxiety.

Colouring helps to focus attention on simple tasks that require repetitive motion. Concentrating this way replaces negative thoughts and creates a state of tranquillity. Mark Robert Waldman Neuroscience researcher, author of 13 books, international speaker and communication expert

Concentrating on colouring in an image may help the replacement of negative thoughts and images with pleasant ones. Dr. Joel Pearson, Brain scientist at the University of New South Wales in Australia

Colouring can also take us back to a simpler period in our life often causing us to recall the happier times of childhood. A time when we had little or no responsibilities, when our time was our own to spend in whatever way we wanted and we did things just for the pure enjoyment of it. Colouring can help us tap into these times and its accompanying emotions, allowing us to escape from our present worries and stresses for even a few hours at a time, which can have an exceptionally recuperative effect. Dr Nikki Martinez, Tele-health counsellor for www.DrNikkiMartinez.com, Adjunct Professor, Consultant, and Writer

A 2014 study from San Francisco State University has also shown that people who partake in creative activities outside of work deal with stress better and achieve enhanced performance in the work place too (1).

1 Eschleman, K.J., Madsen J., Alarcon G., & Barelka A. (2014) Benefiting from creative activity: The positive relationships between creative activity, recovery experiences, and performance-related outcomes. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 87(3), p579–598. DOI: 10.1111/joop.12064View