Why Are Adults Buying Colouring Books?

A noticeable trend of 2015 was that there was a certain up-rise in the amount of colouring books being sold. But were they kids colouring books? No- they were colouring books for adults. But why are adults buying colouring books?


As an auntie of two, I bet I am not the only adult who has secretly enjoyed doing some colouring in with a child in their life or even done some when the child wasn't around. My niece keeps her colouring books and crayons in my study and more than once I have found myself absent mindedly colouring in a picture of a teddy bear or a tiger. 


In school I was always rubbish at art, to the point where my art teacher would half complete things for me or let me do something easier than everyone else. However, I was always one of those students that persistently doodled all over their exercise books. I think this was because I would get so bored and stressed out by classes that I would doodle to concentrate on something else.


For the adult world, day-to-day tasks like work and family can cause real stress. Colouring seems to be a very therapeutic task, which to the art therapist isn't news, but to everyone else it has become more well known. Just taking 15 minutes out of your day to do some colouring can really help you to relax and unwind. It doesn't require any particular talent or effort really, it just requires some moments of your time. It isn't a large commitment and it isn't something you can get wrong. 


I think another benefit of colouring is the accomplishment. Whether you're colouring a large image or something of intricate design, the feeling of accomplishment when you have finally finished a colouring using the creativity in you and be able to stand back and admire it is rather quite nice. Especially when you don't feel like you're accomplishing much or feel restricted in using your imagination elsewhere! 


Colouring books were on my Christmas list for 2015 and I am sure they were on everybody else's because I know lots of people who got them! My Mum bought me 'Cats. Colouring for Mindfulness' whilst my Dad bought me 'The Classic Comic Colouring Book' and 'Animorphia'. In addition to the books I also got the Staedtler Ergo Colouring Pencils and Papermate colouring pens. I like to use a mix of both because I think colours stand out even more when they are a mix of pen and pencil. I've completed two images so far and I've found that I tend to be drawn to making things multi-coloured like the rainbow and also like stripes! 

It is so nice that it has become a trend now for adults to do colouring in because it means we can all openly enjoy it without seeming like we're stuck in our childhood. No more secretly colouring in the kids' colouring books! In addition to that it means we are all now more aware of ways to de-stress which is never a bad thing. I've personally found that the best time for me is to do it at night before bedtime so it encourages me to wind down to help me sleep better.

Have you got any colouring books?