As life flashes past us at warp speed every day, it is easy to get caught up in the many stresses and things around us. No matter who you are and what you do, it is always important to have an outlet to relieve stress in a healthy and productive way.

Coloring books seem to have always taken most interest amongst the younger ages, however this is no longer the case. Adult coloring books have taken the spotlight posing as a trendy and relaxing new way to relieve stress and anxiety.

Adult coloring books are essentially the same thing as a typical coloring book, only they have more intricate and detailed outlines to color, that typically take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. It is all depending on how intricate and coordinated you wish to be.

I decided to test out the new coloring craze and see if it really does offer any relief to my stresses. I definitely seemed to be the perfect candidate for the job considering my copious amount of stress and lack of sleep.

To make sure I got the full experience, I turned off all electronics, found a quiet place and put my trusty Crayola’s to work. After an hour and 30 minutes, my beautiful page was complete. Before beginning my page I had felt stressed out and very amped up from my busy school day. Afterwards I had a clear mind and a sense of calmness.

It had felt very satisfying to be able to have completed a simple task and have beautiful, colorful results. I decided to see if coloring books like these could really have the same effects on other people around me with similar levels of stress.

I took to Vanguard staffers to see if this activity could show larger results in stress reduction. Before staffers began to color their pages, a common consensus amongst everyone was feelings of stress, confusion and exhaustion.

After 25 minutes of coloring pages of an adult coloring book and singing along to old Disney tunes, I turned to my classmates to see how they were feeling.

Staffer David Orona shares how he felt after his coloring activity.

“This activity definitely helped to calm me down. It helped me to slow down and to relax. I feel that this activity definitely helps to improve people’s moods,” Orona said.

Print Editor Suzy Stone additionally expresses her similar results.

“The adult coloring book did calm me down because I was only focusing on coloring, not everything else going on,” Stone said.

The coloring craze is real and it is effective when looking to reduce your stress and improve your overall mood. These results are no coincidence as to why this is so. APUSH and psychology teacher Willie Walker offers his explanations onto why this is so.

“It brings out the creative side in people and it keeps their mind preoccupied. A lot of stress is caused by overthinking of the mind and overthinking about problems and issues. What people

find is if you are doing things with your hands like coloring…it takes away from your mind. That type of physical action is really what is relieving the stress,” Walker said.

These results are not due to simply an altered mindset. Walker explains how the calming effects of coloring are backed by scientific reasoning as well.

“You are using another part of your body, it is a function mechanism. I say it is more biological. You really do not have to think 100 percent to color. It is bringing your focus to one focal point instead of things going on in your head causing stress,” Walker said.

Adult coloring books come in many sizes and themes. Checking out local craft stores such as Michaels and Target, you are sure to find the coloring book for you.

So it is true, the coloring craze really does work and is proven. All you need to do is sit back with your favorite coloring tools, an adult coloring book and see how to amazing effects will calm you down and clear your mind.