Mandalas

Coloring Books Relieve Stress!

There are articles everywhere to support the premise that coloring books for adults help with not only stress relief but people with chronic pain, depression, and mental illness. The act of concentrating on the piece of paper in front of you, deciding the color scheme, whether or not to use markers, colored pencils or gel pens, choosing the picture you want to color all get your mind off of whatever is stressing you out, your pain, your sadness and helps calm your mind.

To figure out which types of books relieve stress for you is something you will find out on your journey through your first several pages or books. Choose a few free coloring book pages to print and try or browse through the Amazon, or the Book Depository websites to see which ones appeal to you right away. DO read through the reviews on each if you are buying directly from the websites. We do that work for you when we suggest any on the ColoringBookAddict.com

For some, sacred mandalas will be the best for them, for others random doodles or Zentangle inspired designs will be the ticket or perhaps something that connects to a time when you were happy as a child or connects you with another passion or hobby. Our list of Coloring Books for Men is a good example of those with books about cars, planes, and insects, guys might find one that brings them joy. Are you a cat or dog lover? We have pre-screened Cat Lovers Coloring Books & Dog Lovers Coloring Books here. Super complicated books might be just the ticket for someone with a bit of an art background and need a bit more of a challenge to turn off their worrying brain and get into their artistic side so Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest or Lost Ocean and Steve McDonalds Fantastic Cities Coloring Book is exactly what you need.

The top 10 Selling Anti-Stress Coloring Books for Adults on Amazon:

1. Color Me Calm – Illustrated by Angela Porter and written by Art Therapist Lacy Mucklow. This book is just so beautiful as a book on your shelf with it’s unique spine that lets you open the book all the way flat. The “Color Me” series all have 5 sections with introductions written about each by Lacy Mucklow with calming illustrations and mandalas following. There are 100 illustrations and each page is one-sided so no stress about markers or gel pens leaking through and the facing page even has a calming mandala pattern that I like to use to play with color combinations and test pens. Also in the series are Color Me Happy, Color Me Stress-Free, Color Me Fearless and a new portable Color Me Happy & Color Me Calm.
2. Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns Volume 2 – There is a wonderful review for this one where the book was bought for her mother who was undergoing brain surgery and she wanted something for her to do after the surgery. She says this book was life-changing for her mother. WOW. 
3. Creative Haven Entangled Book by Angela Porter – This has 30 original hand-drawn patterns was inspired by Zentangle, a method of creating repetitive patterns that promote relaxation as well as creative expression. Angela’s designs incorporate flowers, stars, and geometric shapes. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists and a fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress. This was the first book I purchased and particularly love the price tag right now.
4. Creative Coloring Inspirations: Art Activity Pages to Relax and Enjoy! – illustrated by Valentina Harper. Each page is one-sided and perforated but we always recommend putting a piece of blank paper behind if you want to use markers. Ms. Harper’s style is obvious but this book includes inspirational sayings on each page to help you relax.  “My office team literally took a double-take at these adult coloring books. Beautifully illustrated to keep anyone s attention, making the coloring process fun as each page is decorated with one’s unique colors and style. They’re also a great tool for aligning one’s thoughts with empowering truths and unleashing creativity. —Mike Dooley, NY Times Bestselling author of Infinite Possibilities”

5. Zenspirations Coloring Book Inspirations Designs to Feed Your Spirit: Create, Color, Pattern, Play! illustrated by Joanne Fink This is the book that started it all for me. I was going on a retreat and someone had said something about adult coloring books but the stores at that time didn’t really have much but I did stumble upon this one and I liked that it let me do a little creating on my own if i wanted to and had some instructions on patterning. Joanne is a wonderful illustrator and a very kind person who will reach out to say a kind word if you reach out to her on social media. She has several books and they are all lovely. 

6. The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People – illustrated by Emma Farrarons #1 National Bestseller • NPR Books Bestseller • #1 Boston Globe Bestseller • #1 San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller

   A fun and unique pocket-size coloring book designed to channel stress into relaxing, creative accomplishments. Reinforced binding with strong glue allows you to open and lay this book flat to color with intricate detail without breaking the spine.

7. Balance (Angie’s Extreme Stress Menders Volume 1)

   “Many thanks to Angie Grace for creating these intricate designs for adults to color. It’s a terrific way to tap into one’s creativity with gel pens and a willingness to let the subconscious mind take over. The non-verbal, right side of my brain must be filling these in because I feel surprised by the finished product every time! Hours go by as I completely relax into Angie’s “stress menders.” I recommend using Fiskars 48 Gel Pens with these because they flow smoothly and don’t bleed through the pages. What a great alternative to watching TV or playing with my iPhone! My husband jokes that he’s become a “coloring widower.” Maybe he’ll eventually join the fun.” Marilyn – Amazon

8. Flower Designs Coloring Book: An Adult Coloring Book for Stress-Relief, Relaxation, Meditation and Creativity (Volume 1) Relax and explore your creative side with the best-selling Flower Designs Coloring Book for adults. With a focus on beauty and variety, this book will delight and entertain beginners to advanced colorists. Illustrator Jenean Morrison has created 50 original designs, printed on one side of the pages only (so you can use markers if you like). These highly detailed images feature a lovely balance of both stylized and hand-drawn flowers. The page layouts vary nicely with floral-infused mandalas, blooming bouquets, repeat patterns and singular, frame-worthy works of art.
   
9. Dover Creative Haven Art Nouveau Animal Designs Coloring Book – Illustrated by Marty Noble who has known about adults coloring for years and year. This artist has more books and illustrations on the market than anyone else as she has been creating for Dover for years.  This book combines mandalas with flowers and animals, a bit of something for everyone and at a great price point.
10. Whatever book makes you happy and brings a smile to your face! I can’t stress this enough but if you are looking to relieve stress in your life through coloring, find a book whose pictures make you smile, that works better than anyone else telling you their favorite books to color in. Yours will be different than your BFF or your Mom. Most importantly have fun and remember there are NO RULES in adult coloring books! Pink tree’s and purple cats are just fine.

Check out our favorite Mandala and Mindfulness Coloring Books here.

Not sure where to start? Here are our tips for getting started and our 13 tips for new colorists.

Confused about coloring supplies? Not a problem, check out our advice on Colored Pencils, Markers, and Gel Pens.

• Adult Coloring Books – Top 13 Tips for New Colorists
• Adult Coloring – How to Get Started
• Top Selling Adult Coloring Books for Quarantining in 2020
• Top Swear Word Coloring Books for adults only
• Lets Color! Coloring Books for Grown-Ups