Research backs this concept up. According to Medical Daily, one study concluded that mindfulness art therapy was beneficial for women with cancer. Researchers found that this type of therapy decreased both physical and emotional stress during treatment. And another study found that an hour of art therapy in cancer patients was associated with both comfort and a desire to participate in more art therapy.
"People with cancer very often feel like their body has been taken over by the cancer. They feel overwhelmed," Joke Bradt, a music therapist at Drexel University says. "To be able to engage in a creative process…that stands in a very stark contrast to sort of passively submitting oneself to cancer treatments.”
2. Coloring is relaxing.
Another benefit of adult coloring is that it can be relaxing.
First, coloring directs attention from ourselves. That’s because when we’re coloring, we’re focused on just that. We’re thinking about what’s in front of us, as opposed to troubles that may be present in our lives. “In this way, it’s very much like a meditative exercise,” Bea tells the Cleveland Clinic.
Coloring is also said to relax the brain. “We are not disturbed by our own thoughts and appraisals,” Bea says. “The difficulties of life evaporate from our awareness and both our bodies and our brains may find this rewarding.”
Adult coloring can be pleasurable. It’s a stress-free activity that calms us down. “It is hard to screw up coloring, and, even if you do, there is no real consequence,” Bea says. “As a result, adult coloring can be a wonderful lark, rather than an arduous test of our capacities.”