My Mom the Addict

 My 94 year old Mom-in-law can't stop coloring! Last week she sent me an SOS begging for more pages. This woman will keep me producing for sure! I'd say by this spring or Summer I will have a new Mandala coloring book available.

So far Momma Doris has colored her Ms. Moffatt Meditative Mandala coloring book along with TWENTY extra pages (some from the book, some new). And she is now starting on a new stack of 10 more! Her choices of colors are really nice don't you think? All done with the "Crayola Twistable" colored pencils I recommend.

I did not know Carl G. Jung the famous early 20th century psychologist used coloring Mandalas as a relaxation technique for his clients!
Below is abbreviated but informative version about coloring books from the Huffington Post last month.
 

Coloring Isn’t Just for Kids. It can Actually Help Adults Combat Stress

  Coloring is an activity that we tend to associate with children. However, it turns out coloring can be beneficial for adults -- namely for its de-stressing power.

  The practice generates wellness, quietness and also stimulates brain areas related to motor skills, the senses and creativity.

  One of the first psychologists to apply coloring as a relaxation technique was Carl G. Jüng in the early 20th century. He did this through mandalas: circular designs with concentric shapes similar to the Gothic churches’ rose windows. They have their origin in India.

  In simplest terms, coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on it and not on our worries. But it also "brings out our imagination and takes us back to our childhood, a period in which we most certainly had a lot less stress." This leads us immediately and unconsciously to welfare, exposes the specialist.

 "I recommend it as a relaxation technique," says psychologist Antoni Martínez. "We can use it to enter into a more creative, freer state," he assures. We can also use it to connect with how we feel, since depending on our mood we choose different colors or intensity.

  The psychologist Luis Rojas Marcos says in the preface that "coloring comforts us, gives us peace, and lets us enjoy ourselves -- it even temporarily frees us from daily pressures... Although coloring a couple of hours does not eliminate all problems and worries, it takes us away and relieves us from the stress that overwhelms us."

Tip for beginners: "Despite how highly stressed you may be, the most important thing is to not use pen markers with alcohol that go through the paper. The proper thing is to use crayons."

  You heard it here first.

Originally posted HuffPost Spain.