Colour yourself calm

Some of the things I enjoyed most as a child were colouring, reading  and eating chocolate and funnily enough they have all stayed with me right into adulthood. I also enjoy the occasional nap and at this point I am thinking more naps would have been a better resolution than getting fit because I know which one I am excelling at thus far. 

Some of the best parts of being an adult is having the freedom to forget I am one occasionally and that's usually why you will find me escaping into a really good book given half a chance. Life can get pretty stressful as an adult with all sorts of stresses and worries that no one had bothered to warn me about when I was a teenager and wishing my life away.  
While colouring was always something I had enjoyed on some level, it wasn't something I can say I have done a whole lot of in recent years outside of work events ( in the children's section of a bookshop) and in my role as Auntie Laura ( a role that I take very seriously). Its not that I didn't want to colour but I had this overwhelming feeling that it would be quite embarrassing to admit as a women in her thirties that it was something I had an interest in, a bit like taking someone back to your room and it being covered in teddies. Times have since changed and colouring books for adults are now being seen as an actual thing ranging from the hilarious (ryan gosling ) to the ingenious ( art therapy, anti stress colouring book).
This is something that makes me very excited indeed because now not only is there a range of excellent books catering for adults but it's also socially acceptable to be seen buying them.

After some pretty subtle hints ( subtle like a brick, I am) my boyfriend bought me the anti stress I had my eye on in work and kind of made my Christmas. I think this year my fear of getting terrible presents ( a ex once got me Celine Dion perfume) overwhelmed my love of being surprised. Once I got my book home I got stuck right in as I already have markers at home for other valid reasons I wont go into right now. So Far I have completed about 12 pictures and along the way I have learned a few things. 1) those pictures take a lot longer to complete than you would imagine (2-3  hours a picture) 2) I am absolutely meticulous when it comes to finishing each one. 3) this can lead to claw hand which is where you get a cramp in your hand from holding the marker ( uncomfortable but not fatal) 4) this also leads to my hand being absolutely destroyed with marker. 5) colouring really is like a form of therapy. I find it incredibly soothing, as a chronic worrier it really allows me to switch off.

It does make me smile thinking that if two years ago I had told someone I spent a relaxing night on my couch in my pj's colouring in, I'd have gotten some pretty weird looks but now not only do people not blink upon hearing it, instead there are murmurs of envy because it sounds so relaxing and they wish they had a colouring book too. I am very glad my time has come but I really must go now because I have some colouring to do. 



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