Coloring used to be an activity reserved for small children in elementary grades. These days coloring books are used for adults as well. Coloring books have therapeutic benefits for many different conditions, including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. Art therapy has long been recognized as a valuable way to help patients process stress and traumatic stress as well. The person coloring can reduce anxiety and increase self- esteem by exploring feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior , improve reality orientation, and develop social skills. A study in 2005 did find that coloring a mandala helped ease anxiety. Participants were then asked to recall a situation in which they felt very anxious, writing it down in detail. An anxiety test was administered. Different groups were given coloring pages of a mandala, a plaid pattern, and a blank sheet of paper and asked to color for 20 minutes . Anxiety was tested were performed again ...
