Have you heard about “adult colouring books”? How could you NOT! Seriously. Feels like everywhere you turn, there’s something about them. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Not at all. They are incredibly popular right now, and I’m all for it!
I {re}discovered the joy of colouring books four years ago, when I was looking for something creative & relaxing to do, with a newborn. I wanted a no mess, not much set-up required, portable, creative outlet, and nothing involving pins or needles. The solution was colouring books! I was gifted a copy of My Wonderful World of Fashion by Nina Chakrabarti and quickly fell in love with my colouring time. As Sam got older, my time to colour dropped off and my colouring books sat unused.
Last Christmas, I was gifted some new colouring books and lovely felts! Sam and I started doing colouring book time together {sometimes working on a page together, other times each working on our own books}. It quickly became our go-to quiet time activity, whether first thing in the morning to wake up {instead of watching a show} or in the late afternoon when we needed to slow down. I was AMAZED at how colouring calmed us.
{If you haven’t yet checked out local artist Crystal Salamon’s Awakening: Artful Colouring Book, DO!}
I put together a bag of our fave felts and purchased a couple of smaller colouring books I could toss in my purse. Now when we head out the door to a restaurant or somewhere we might be waiting for a bit, I grab our colouring gear. It makes situations that can be a bit stressful with a busy preschooler much more enjoyable. Of course, it doesn’t work every time, but it’s well worth the try! A lot of times, Sam likes to just sit beside me and watch me colour. I think he is fascinated with how I “colour in the lines” and it seriously soothes him.
Self-care can involve doing things together.
I read a lot about “self-care” for mamas that involves kid-free activities. And hey, I ADORE that kind of self-care time!! But sometimes I think self-care can involve doing things together or at least in the presence of each other. When I tell my son that I need to sit quietly with a colouring book & my coffee first thing in the morning to wake up a bit {instead of zoning out on my phone}, I think it’s a great example for him. Or when I’m feeling frazzled in the afternoon and need to somehow calm myself & re-focus, it’s great to have colouring time alongside my son, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
Of course, if you can find the time to take your colouring out to a coffee shop on your own or colour after the kids go to sleep, that’s AWESOME! That’s wonderful mama-time! For me, that’s not always possible and I’d rather keep up with the daily {or regular} practice of colour therapy, than push it aside for solo mama time.
Self-care is about doing something that re-fuels YOU.
Either brings you down from craziness or lifts you back up to where you need to be. What I’m discovering is that, in daily practice, for me, it might mean finding something that can be done alongside little ones. And on a weekly practice, something I do solo.
Here’s some of my fave adult colouring books, in case you’re interested:
- Secret Garden {postcards} by Johanna Basford
- Just Add Color: Day of the Dead by Sarah Walsh
- Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta
- recently acquired & can’t wait to geek out with the Harry Potter: Postcard Coloring Book