Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to cope with pressure. This could be pressure at work, university, family life, finances…the list can go on! Stress is something that everyone will experience at some point in their life, so you’re not alone in your struggle with it.

There are quite a few different symptoms of stress that you might spot in the way you’re feeling, or changes in behaviour.

Physical Symptoms-

- Headaches
- Muscle tension
- Stomach problems
- Chest pain or a faster heartbeat

Mental Symptoms-

- Difficulty concentrating
- Struggling to make decisions
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Constant worrying
- Being forgetful

Behaviour Changes-

- Being irritable/snappy
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Eating too much or too little
- Avoiding certain activities/people/places
- Drinking or smoking more

Cortisol is a hormone that often pops up when discussions around stress take place. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that’s released by your adrenal glands. It can affect many aspects of your body, but it mostly regulates how your body responds to stress.

During times of stress, cortisol can be released by your body after releasing “fight or flight” hormones like adrenaline. This makes you stay on high alert, it also triggers the release of glucose from your liver to give you energy. 

It’s important that the levels of cortisol in your body aren’t too high or too low. One of the best ways to manage this is through limiting stress and stressful thinking patterns. This is where colouring comes in. Incorporating relaxing activities into your routine is a great way to keep cortisol levels down.

Mindful colouring has surged in popularity recently, but what is it? The idea of mindful colouring is to bring awareness to the present moment, through focusing on the design and colours in front of you. So, is colouring a form of meditation? In a way it is, the process of colouring is very similar to meditation. When you’re colouring you let go of any thoughts on tomorrow, the previous day, or what you’re going to do once you’ve finished.

There are a few products that you need in order to practise mindful colouring, and luckily you can find them all at Ryman. A colouring book is of course an important part of mindful colouring so make sure you choose one that has designs that appeal to you. Of course you need to have colouring pencils or felt tips to go with your colouring book. Grab a pack that has as many colours in as possible, so you can have beautiful rainbow designs throughout your colouring book. 

Improving your mental wellbeing is something that takes time, and there are other options as well as colouring. Take a look at our blog post that contains our top tips for improving your mental wellbeing.

Mindful colouring, as well as other methods, is a great way to manage stress. It’s a simple and accessible activity that everyone can take part in. When it comes to mindful colouring, artistic talent doesn’t matter- it’s all about taking time for yourself and enjoying the process.

One of the first scientists to study the therapeutic benefits of colouring for adults was Carl Jung, who studied the colouring of mandalas in the 1920s. He found that his patients became calmer and experienced less stress as they coloured in the circles and geometric patterns. Colouring allows you to focus on the present moment, leaving behind worries about things that have happened, or may happen in the future. Letting go of these negative thoughts naturally reduces feelings of stress and anxiety, and is something that should be done regularly.

Stress and anxiety can impact your ability to focus, which will affect all areas of your life. Mindful colouring, when practised over time, can help improve focus. Spending time concentrating on colouring small areas and not allowing anything to distract you are skills that are developed gradually. These skills can be implemented into other areas of your life too, so it’s well worth having focus time!

We all get a better night’s sleep when we don’t use electronics at night BUT quite often we need to ‘do’ something to help us to switch off from our busy lives.  Colouring is a relaxing pastime, which won’t disturb your melatonin levels, giving you more chance of drifting peacefully off to the land of nod. Reducing stress, and in turn reducing cortisol levels, can also contribute towards better sleep. You don’t want to keep going over negative thoughts while you’re trying to drift off!

Many of us are guilty of over-thinking and dwelling on things that we can’t change.  Whilst colouring isn’t going to bring about world peace or pay your gas bill, it is proven that because colouring requires you to focus on the task in hand, the negative emotions are slowly replaced with positive ones. When you finish colouring you feel a sense of accomplishment. This is great for boosting mood and confidence.

Negative thoughts can increase the level of cortisol in the body and the more cortisol in the body the more stressed the more stressed you’ll feel. You don’t want that!

Mindful colouring has a similar effect on mood as bullet journaling, or gratitude journaling. All three allow you to focus on the present and forget about worries you may have. Bullet journals can help you with organisation, productivity, and tracking long-term goals. When it comes to creating a bullet journal you can design it to completely suit you too! If you want to get started on a bullet journal, we have a great blog post to help.

Reducing stress is something we should all be doing regularly but rarely make time for. Spending just 10 minutes a day colouring can help reduce stress and anxiety, and won’t take up too much time from your day. The important thing is to enjoy the process of colouring. Don’t let it turn into a chore.

Take a look at the great range of colouring products we have available on our website to get you started.

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