If you’re sick and tired of feeling sick-and-tired and just plain stressed out, go grab a crayon. September 14 is National Coloring Day in the U.S.A., an annual holiday created by the Queen of Holidays. Not to be confused with National Coloring Book Day which is observed in August, National Coloring Day is a special day for young and old alike. It can be done just about anywhere and is affordable, too. It’s about adding a splash of color to your life, with or without coloring books. And if you are feeling adventurous, you can even color outside the lines, too!
Coloring not only adds color to your life and inspires creativity; it’s a great stress-buster, too. According to best selling author, psychologist and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School,Alice D. Domar, Ph. D., coloring actually engages both sides of the brain. Coloring stimulates areas of the brain related to motor skills, senses and creativity. While some hobbies do help with relaxation, Domar says it’s impossible to worry when the mind is completely engaged. When we totally focus on an activity, we don’t focus on our worries.
Be honest. When is the last time you sat down and colored? Was it when the kids or grand-kids were young? Or maybe it was years ago when you were a youngster? If you think coloring is just for kids – you’d be wrong. Coloring for adults has become a world-wide craze which has some publishers jumping on the adult coloring book bandwagon. Intricate, beautiful and downright fun coloring books for adults are flying off the shelves and are even topping bestseller lists!
It’s time to take a stroll down memory lane. Today is you time. Turn off those intrusive electronic devices and put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Pick up a set of colored pencils, pens, markers, paint and/or a box of Crayola crayons and get your color on! When you are done, encourage the rest of your family or a few of your favorite BFFs to join in on the coloring fun!
Just in case you need a little help to get started, the following websites provide free coloring pages for adults. Color on!
Free Coloring Pages for Adults
- Lori Ryan, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author, offers several beautiful coloring pages for free.
- Free Mandala Coloring Pages
- Adult Coloring Book Website – Check out these free coloring pages.
- Zen and Anti-Stress Coloring Pages for Adults
- Talk about stunning! Check out this absolutely amazing coloring page, Enchanted Forest, or Castle Point, by Ellfi.
- Check out these individual coloring pages by DS Art.
- Flower Crown coloring page by Robin Elizabeth Art.
- Anne Manera, illustrator, designer and author of coloring books and children’s books, has several coloring books for sale. Check out a free sample.And speaking of coloring, while many restaurants provide crayons and coloring pages to entertain the kiddies while we patiently wait for our food to arrive, have you ever wondered what happens to all those crayons? Most are thrown away. In fact, it is estimated that between 45,000 and 75,000 pounds of broken crayons end up in American landfills. The Crayon Initiative is a fabulous non-profit organization that not only helps keep those discarded crayons out of our overcrowded landfills, but recycles them into colorful new crayons and donates them to children’s hospitals. See how you canhelp add some color to children’s lives!
Happy National Coloring Day!