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September/October 2012 Spirituality
Coloring for Stress Management

by Martha Soria Sears

Unmanaged stress is often the cause of pain and suffering in your life. Who would have thought that the easiest and fastest way to manage stress is as simple as picking up a crayon?

Coloring can be used to help solve problems of every size and form, creating instant inner peace in a moment of panic.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started: Two pieces of blank paper (no smaller than 3 by 5 inches) and a box of crayons.

Coloring Directions

1. Identify your area of stress and select the corresponding row in the coloring exercises chart. Your coloring exercise will use the information in this row, working from left to right. For example:
   • You are stressed about your job, the economy or not being able to pay your debt. You need to regain your survival level, strength and confidence. Your coloring exercise: finances.
   • You just had a fight with your loved one — you are worried that your relationship is in trouble and need clarity around what to do. Your coloring exercise: love relationship.
   • You have recently experienced the loss of a loved one, your grief is heavy and you need to regain some peace in your heart. Your coloring exercise: sadness, grief and loss.
   • You have a deadline at work but you are experiencing problems focusing and getting the work done. You need to re-engage your focus and clarity of thought. Your coloring exercise: problem solving and mental blocks.
   • If your stress is caused by more than one of the categories on the chart, then follow and complete the exercise for each of the categories causing you stress, one at a time
2. Vent your emotions using the color(s) corresponding to your stress category.
   • Feel the emotions of the problem you need to resolve. Take your crayon and start coloring on the blank paper. Use your strokes of color as your expression — pour the feelings, emotions and stress of the problem onto the paper. You might find that your strokes become sharper, stronger or quicker as you let yourself release the energy through the color. Allow the crayon to be the vehicle by which you expel what is causing you stress. Keep going until you come to a natural stop, meaning you won’t feel like coloring anymore. When you are done, take a deep breath and put down your crayon.
3. Acknowledge the release. Take a moment to say “Thank you” to your higher self for releasing the stressful energy. Feel how there is a calm space where there was once angst.
4. Expand that calm space.
   • To fill and grow the new space with purpose, take another piece of paper and use the color(s) identified in the “Expand using this color” column. Using calm, gentle and loving strokes, draw the diagram identified in the “Suggested diagram” column.
   • Remember this is your gift to yourself, so keep your thoughts focused on self-love, healing and joy as you complete the coloring exercise.

Coloring Exercises

Martha Soria Sears, author of Colors for Life, is the president of Next Step Transformation Consulting, as well as a clinical hypnotherapist and Psych-K practitioner. Visit www.nstransformation.com.