Creative play is one of the pillars of our upcoming neuroplasticity program.
If you’ve followed the Rewiring for Creativity blog series, you know of the various ways creative pursuits can enhance a brain retraining practice and support mood and neuroplasticity.
As children, we are perhaps more easily connected to our imagination and exploration than we are as adults. Responsibilities and daily life can overshadow our innate expression of creativity, and we may lose touch with that side of us in the midst of challenges.
Creative play is a great way to tap back into the healing potential that exists in creative pursuits. It doesn’t require any particular level of skill or talent. It is more about the process than the outcome.
It’s no secret that coloring books have become a therapeutic tool for adults.
Each year, August 2 is recognized as National Coloring Book Day to recognize the joy both children and adults gain from this creative activity. Not only is it a mood elevator, but it’s been shown to have stress-reducing effects and can be considered a meditative or mindful practice.
As a child, creativity helped me to express my inward world and make more sense or establish more grounding in what was going on externally. If you are interested in exploring creativity, but are unsure where to begin, the simple act of coloring may be a good place to start. Wherever I went, so long as I had access to some crayons or markers, I could make do.
Coloring books are portable and can be a supportive tool for nourishing your inner environment while at home or on the go.
The outlined designs provide the brain some structure from which to explore and create endless possibilities through colors and patterns—this is neuroplasticity in action. The coloring book offers a basic framework or prompt to create from, which might be more comforting or encouraging than setting out to create on a completely blank page. It can be that inspirational middle ground to build upon. If you’d like to give it a try, there is a free printable coloring/doodling activity as part of an earlier blog entry.
For more coloring opportunities that also incorporate other self-development tools, check out our new coloring book, now available on Amazon and other book distributors!
Inspired by the latest neuroscience research and the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung, this 228-page coloring book pairs 111 mandala illustrations with positive affirmations and growth mindset phrases to create a supportive and entertaining mindfulness practice. A four-page introduction offers further insights to the origins of mandalas and their use as a self-development tool, as well as some background information on neuroplasticity and the significance of nervous system regulation.
Coloring pages are formatted to be single-sided with a dark pigment backing to help prevent bleed-through. The mandalas featured in this book are nature-inspired, including leaf and floral motifs throughout the forms. A combination of simple, detailed, and more complex designs are presented to encourage growth and exploration outside the comfort zone for its neuroplastic benefits. For a video preview of what’s inside, see this post from our Instagram.
