Just curious - do you find coloring (like those adult coloring books or apps like Colorfy) more frustrating than relaxing? I'm in no way artistic and just looking at those pages makes me cringe.
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Nope, obviously
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@Bao: LOL I know you love it!!
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That's why I don't even want to get into it! I'm so OCD that I feel like it'd just stress me out more to make it perfect lol!
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I like it but I like doing the more humorous ones and not the artistic ones. I'm not artistic in the least and so my coloring isn't going to be beautiful by any means but it's fun for me to color outfits and people in the jokier books like the Colour Me Good series or Abbi Jacobson's Color This Book: New York City. The really intricate serious books totally intimidate me.
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I don't find it frustrating but I really don't find it particularly relaxing, either...it just doesn't do much for me. I'd rather read a book in a warm bubble bath
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I work creatively for a living (& love it!) and have no interest in coloring to "relax".
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I thought I would like it because I'm pretty artistic, but it makes me stressed too. I have to plan out all the colors ahead of time, my hand cramps up (I also can't knit or crochet for the same reason), and it gives me a neck ache from bending over the book!
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@twodoghouse: do you use markers? I have zero hand cramping. I do know what you mean about neck aches though!
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@Bao: I've only used colored pencils, which I do have to grip pretty hard and press down pretty hard. Do you have a marker recommendation? I obviously can't use my kids' washable crayola markers because they've bitten the tips off all of them, haha!
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@twodoghouse: I can't color for more than 3 minutes with colored pencils or crayons! I use the Staedtler markers and I can sit for several hours at night with no hand issues.
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@Bao: Thanks for the rec! Maybe I'll ask for some for my birthday and see if that works better for me!
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If I try to do a whole page at once, yes. I've found that coloring is most fun for me when I don't spend too long doing it (maybe 30-45 minutes) and just choose a small section to work on. It takes forever to get through a design, but I like not having a "deadline" or feeling pressure to finish - I get plenty of that at work.
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It depends on the coloring book. If the pictures are too busy, I get overwhelmed. I have a hard time deciding colors, and frequently quit part way through because I can't figure out what colors to continue with. Weirdly, that's sometimes because I don't like what I've done, and sometimes because I do like it but I feel like if I keep going I'll just screw it up. I have the same problem with drawing/painting. I can't tell you how many half finished drawings I have because I liked them so much I was too afraid to keep going and ruin it. But anyway, if I color a simple repeating pattern, and am able to find colors I like, then I find it very fun and relaxing. The satisfaction of coloring in each bit is very soothing to my OCD, and can help when it's making me anxious. This is my current one. Nice and simple (just did rainbow colors, so no thinking about it) and repetitive.
Also, I recently had the idea to look at Vera Bradley patterns for color combo ideas. It seems to work so far.
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@PurplePeony: it sometimes takes me over a week to finish a page, even at a few hours a night!
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@lovehoneybee: mmmm me too. With wine.
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I have thought about trying it but I don't know where you all find the *time* to! Last night I was so exhausted after work, dinner, bathing kids, kitchen clean up, laundry , prep next nights dinner, I didn't even want to shower before bed! (It was a solo parent night) Much less spend 30-45m coloring.....but having something to relax is important. I catch up with my mom group or read some at night before bed if I hadn't fallen asleep on the couch.
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@regberadaisy: I color while pumping or when holding LO while she naps. I wouldn't have time otherwise!
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I haven't tried it. I am an artist though, and I would think it would be more *engaging* vs. relaxing. Artmaking isn't really "relaxing" to me, obviously...
DH likes to focus to relax so it may work for him.
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I think it is fun so long as I don't let myself stress about color choices!
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@Bao: lol
I'm hoping to have more time for this when I am home with a newborn!
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