Thanks, mrsD!

Looks like an easy and a fun way to potentially lower cortisol.

I have never been very artsy. I admire the work of all kinds of artists. I just have never felt like much of an "artist" myself. Lol.

It's never too late to start, however.

I have a large coloring book and pencils. I have only finished one picture in 6 months.

I have given several coloring books and many different types of pencils to a friend who is in a nursing home, recovering from a stroke over the past year. She is very artsy and is enjoying the coloring books and any/all arts/crafts supplies available. It's just amazing to see all she creates. I think she is more creative now than before her stroke.

I hope all is well with you, mrsD.
Thanks again!

With Love and Appreciation,
DejaVu

hello what kind of colouring books have you used? as I am researching them , would be good to know ! thanks

There are some videos on YouTube that review some of the new coloring books.

I saw one by a watercolorist who evaluated the paper in several types.

The paper is very important. The newer books have better, thicker non bleeding paper, than some others. If you use markers or gel pens, you want a paper that won't bleed.

For this summer,Costco has a long table with many styles of coloring books where I live. They also had a huge set of gel pens 100 of them, for $19.99.

I prefer to do my own art work, so hubby just bought me the pen set recently.

That article is so true!

Besides the emotional, physiological benefits, art appears (in my nonprofessional opinion) to help with cognitive abilities too.

Writing is my outlet. I write every day, and sometimes it is terrible.

I found a quote on tumblr, so the source may not be accurate but it says:

"Bad writing precedes good writing. This is an infallible rule, so don't waste time trying to avoid bad writing. (That just slows down the process.) Anything committed to paper can be changed. The idea is to start and then go from there" - Janet Hulstrand

I wanted to share that for anyone who feels like they aren't artistic. Just write (or draw, dance, etc)! Who cares if it isn't good? Just start and see where it takes you.

Lovely thread, thank you for sharing!

That's a very interesting and great article. Worth a read.

This one is from PsychCentral, our sister forum:

Creative Activities Can Boost Well-Being | Psych Central News