Do you remember coloring books? You'd use a variety of colored crayons to make pretty pictures. Now research shows that coloring inside the line is no longer just for kids! Kim Weiss explains how coloring is helpful for a number of health issues found in adults including reducing stress!

Inkspirations are from the original publishers of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series.

Let’s face it, some days are plain hectic. Sometimes we are up to our ears in errands, chores at home, or responsibilities at the office. Worse yet, some days there are incredibly awful things going on in our world. And some days, all we want is tune out the unforgiving realities that exist in our world and wind down. Much like art therapy, “coloring therapy” as a form of active meditation offers an easy way to reduce stress and calm the mind. To start overcoming heartache, releasing tensions, and building positive energy, pick up some pencils, markers, crayons, or whatever you want and start a coloring book.

There is less pressure with coloring, as opposed to drawing or painting. As mentioned, coloring can take on the role of active meditation. Without the stress of having to imagine your own design and try to perfect it, you are simply free to get started bringing a creation life. It is easy to mindlessly color and let your pencils or markers take the piece where they may.

Coloring can inspire and awaken our inner motivations as we express ourselves. As one takes the steps to create a colored page – choosing mediums and colors, deciding on techniques, and more – there is a certain mentality that sets in. Someone that is coloring becomes less afraid to take risks with their art.

Coloring outside of the lines, coloring dogs purple, turning a flower bud into a sunset; it all helps to open the mind as we turn something conventional or predictable into our own. People who color can step out of everyday boxes, and the more they do, the less afraid they become of others judging their work. In these ways, expressing creativity through coloring helps us to break down creative barriers and feel more comfortable with trying new things, while at the same time feeling more comfortable with ourselves.

For more information check out: inkspirations.com

air date: 8/5/16