Toby Geeks Out!

So here's something I haven't done in way too long: adult coloring.

I was really into it for a while back in DC. There's something about sitting down with a good coloring book and a fresh set of colored pencils that just... hits different. No screens. No notifications. Just you, some intricate little design, and the very important decision of whether this flower petal is going to be purple or teal. (The answer is always teal, by the way.)

Then the move happened. And if you've been following along, you know the last couple of years have been a lot. Between the transition back to Kentucky, getting settled into the tiny house, and life just generally being life, my coloring books got packed into a box and that box got... somewhere. Probably glaring at me from a corner.

But now that I'm actually settled — like, genuinely settled, porch and everything — I've been thinking about picking it back up. And it turns out my gut feeling about coloring being good for the brain wasn't just me making excuses to buy more art supplies.

I stumbled across a piece from Healthline that lays out the actual science behind it.

A 2017 study found that people who colored daily for a week reported reduced anxiety and depression compared to the start of the study. And a 2020 study found that just 20 minutes of mandala coloring significantly relieved anxiety — with participants reporting feeling calm, safe, and at ease overall.

Twenty minutes! That's like, one episode of a show I've already seen.

There's also this idea that coloring can help you reach a flow state — that "in the zone" feeling where you're so focused on what you're doing that you lose track of time and your brain stops spinning out on everything else. As someone whose brain loves to spin out, I am very on board with this.

Oh, and for those of us who like to wind down before bed without doom-scrolling? Coloring doesn't mess with your sleep the way screens do — no blue light messing with melatonin production, no algorithm feeding you one more thing to feel anxious about.

Just pencils and paper and peace.

I think I need to excavate those boxes and see what I've even got. And honestly? A mandala book might be happening regardless.

Anyone else an adult coloring person? Tell me your favorite kind of books — I'm partial to detailed botanicals and anything with a lot of tiny patterns to fill in.