01 Dec Take a page from our colouring book
Remember when you were a child and pulled out your colouring books to pass the time on a rainy afternoon?
It was a creative pursuit – comforting and relaxing and stimulating all at the same time. When you were done, you showed off your pages to mom and dad, and basked in the warm glow of their praise.
These days, colouring isn’t just for kids. More adults are taking it up. In fact, colouring books for grownups by Johanna Basford have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide since 2012!
Research has shown that art therapy can help reduce levels of stress indicators (cortisol) and anxiety. A concern among those who study brain health is that people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at increased risk of converting to Alzheimer’s disease within a few years. Research at Baycrest has found that the risk increases significantly if the person with MCI suffers from anxiety.
So it’s no surprise that we’re in favour of finding ways to reduce anxiety!
The Brain Project recently distributed its own custom colouring book to members of the press to help promote the initiative. They were invited to post their finished pages to social media (using hashtag #thebrainprojectTO) to be admired and draw attention to the cause. Check out some of their images here.
Now, we invite you to join the fun. If you’d like to see whether colouring makes your brain feel good, put your crayons and creativity to work. Download your own colouring page, and post your finished product to your social media accounts. Don’t forget to tag it with #thebrainprojectTO so we can see it. You might also see your finished artwork appear on our homepage!