Coloring for stress relief: why adults are picking up crayons again

I started coloring again at 34. Not because someone told me to. Because I was sitting in a waiting room, my kid was working on a coloring page, and I picked up a spare crayon. Twenty minutes later I felt calmer than I had all week.

Turns out I'm not the only adult who's rediscovered this. The adult coloring book market hit $648 million globally in 2023, and it's still growing. But beyond the trend, there's real research behind why coloring works as a stress management tool.

What happens in your brain when you color

Coloring requires just enough concentration to pull your attention away from whatever's stressing you out, without demanding so much effort that it becomes stressful itself. Researchers call this "low-stakes focused attention," and it works similarly to meditation.

A 2005 study by Nancy Curry and Tim Kasser at Knox College found that coloring geometric patterns (like mandalas) reduced anxiety levels more effectively than free-form drawing. The participants who colored structured designs showed a measurable drop in self-reported anxiety after just 20 minutes.

More recent research backs this up. A 2020 meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association reviewed 12 studies and concluded that coloring structured patterns consistently reduced anxiety and improved mood in adults. The effect was strongest when people colored for at least 15 minutes.

It's not about being good at art

This trips people up. They think, "I can't draw. I'm not creative. This isn't for me."

Coloring pages solve that problem entirely. The lines are already there. You just fill them in. There's no blank page anxiety, no fear of messing up. The worst that happens is you use a color you don't love, and even that is fine.

I know people who would never call themselves "artsy" who color every evening after their kids go to bed. They do it because it works, not because they're trying to make something gallery-worthy.

How coloring compares to other stress relief methods

I'm not going to pretend coloring replaces therapy, exercise, or medication for serious anxiety. It doesn't. But compared to other low-effort wind-down activities, it holds up well.

Scrolling your phone activates your brain rather than calming it. Watching TV is passive, which helps some people but leaves others feeling restless. Coloring sits in a sweet spot: it's active enough to keep your hands and mind occupied, but calm enough that your nervous system actually gets a break.

Anecdotally, a lot of people tell me they sleep better on nights when they color before bed. The blue-light-free, phone-free downtime probably helps with that.

What to color if you're just starting

If you haven't colored since you were eight, here's where to start:

Mandalas are the go-to for stress relief. The repetitive, symmetrical patterns are almost hypnotically calming. Research consistently points to geometric designs as the most effective for anxiety reduction.

Nature scenes (flowers, landscapes, animals) work well if mandalas feel too abstract. There's something grounding about coloring a forest or a garden.

Detailed character pages are better for people who want to zone out for longer. They take more time and keep your brain engaged without being taxing.

We have free printable pages in all these categories. The "hard" difficulty pages tend to work best for adults because they have more detail and smaller spaces, which keeps you focused longer.

Supplies matter more than you'd think

Crayons are fine for casual coloring, but most adults prefer colored pencils. They give you more control, blend better, and feel more satisfying to use.

A basic set of 24 colored pencils (Prismacolor Scholar or Faber-Castell are solid budget picks) and some printed coloring pages is all you need. Total investment: about $12.

Gel pens work well for people who like bold, saturated colors. Markers are great for filling large areas quickly but can bleed through thin paper, so print on slightly heavier stock if you go that route.

Making it a habit

The people who get the most out of coloring are the ones who do it regularly, not just when they're already stressed. Here's what works:

• Same time every day. After dinner, before bed, during your lunch break. Consistency matters more than duration.
• Keep your supplies out. If your colored pencils live at the bottom of a drawer, you won't use them. Leave them on the coffee table next to a coloring page.
• Start with 10 minutes. You don't need to commit to an hour. Most studies show benefits kicking in after 15-20 minutes, but even 10 minutes is better than none.
• Don't aim for perfection. The goal is to relax, not to create a masterpiece. Color outside the lines. Use weird color combinations. Nobody is grading you.

The research keeps coming

New studies on art therapy and coloring keep appearing. A 2024 paper from the University of Otago found that even brief coloring sessions (10 minutes) improved mood and reduced heart rate in adults experiencing work-related stress.

Therapists are noticing this too. More mental health professionals are recommending coloring as a complementary practice alongside traditional treatments. It's not a cure for anything, but it's a tool, and a cheap, accessible one at that.

Try it tonight

Print a coloring page from our collection. Grab whatever coloring supplies you have around the house. Set a 15-minute timer and see how you feel afterward.

Worst case, you spent 15 quiet minutes away from your phone. Best case, you found a new way to decompress that costs almost nothing and works every time.