I really needed something to take my stressed mind off the worldwide pandemic. I had done the Mindfulness Unraveled colouring posters before but not mindfully. Now was the time to revisit them and hopefully take in the benefits of doing anything (in this case colouring-in) mindfully. The poster was open and waiting, the pencils sharpened and ready for action. I took the time to check-in with what was going on in my mind, heart and body; how I was feeling mentally and physically. Taking slow but deep breaths I started. As I coloured I observed the physical experience of colouring-in;...

What prompted the sales of colouring books in U.S. to jump from 1 to 12 million units last year? (Nielsen data). How come 5 of the top 10 best-selling books in the United States were adult colouring books in 2015?  And this trend is not limited to just the U.S., it can be seen globally from South America to Asia, with book stores carrying a wide selection of colouring books. In May 2016, Faber-Castell, the world’s biggest wooden pencil manufacturer, said that they are experiencing double digit growth due to the popularity of adult colouring books. In a nutshell, this...

7 of the top 30 titles on Amazon’s 2015 best-seller list are adult colouring books, that’s nearly a quarter of the best-seller list. There is plenty of research showing that engaging in creative activity helps people deal better with stress and that helps them in their personal life and they perform better at work. There are strong views about whether colouring can be considered to be a ‘real’ creative activity. Nonetheless people who colour certainly see the activity as relaxing and stress-relieving. In our busy lives we often don’t make time for ourselves and can find it hard to relax...