Whilst a wave of adult colouring books became popular around five years ago, the past years social distancing and lockdowns (we’re on number 3 in case you’ve lost count) has made this seemingly childlike activity trendier than ever before.
And when you consider how incredibly calming it is, during a time when we’re all more anxious than ever, it’s not hard to see why. With your attention focussed away from yourself – not to mention distractions like Instagram – colouring in is akin to meditating, as your brain relaxes and focusses on the present moment only. Who knew achieving a more mindful state was so easy? Plus, unlike your job or other high-stress demands, it doesn’t matter how perfectly you perform – so your inner critic can take a break for once.
Hands up if how you spend your weekends has changed drastically in the last year? Long gone are the days of spending your 48 hours of freedom brunching, rushing off on a short break to Prague and throwing your name away on a sticky dancefloor at 2am. Our time off is now spent rather more sedately – other than finishing Netflix (yes it’s possible) we’re no longer strangers to the cookbooks lining our kitchen shelves, the yoga mats that had been gathering dust and jigsaw puzzle building.
But if the thought of being in lockdown for another moment longer has you wondering just what *exactly* you’ll do to pass the time, we’ve got a new hobby for you to take up – colouring in. If you haven’t yet tried the therapeutic and time-consuming activity of meticulously colouring in images of everything from tarot cards to swear words (yes really), you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much fun it is – and how relaxing.
If this sounds like just the activity for you to take up, you’ll be happy to know we’ve found the best adult colouring books for every kind of person and interest. Wanderlusters, fashionistas and animal lovers – there’s a book for all of you, not to mention we’ve found adult colouring books with a feminist slant and a body positivity one. And with the best colouring books for adults starting from £4. 50 all you need is a set of colouring pencils, and it’s the affordable mental break you can easily give yourself.