By _7_8_9__1 - 12/01/2016 03:25 - United States

Today, my anxiety was escalating so I decided to try an anti-anxiety adult coloring book to calm myself down. Too bad I got more stressed out about which colors I should use. FML
I agree, your life sucks 21 581
You deserved it 4 014

_7_8_9__1 tells us more.

OP here! I love coloring, but the designs in my favorite book are so complex, it's difficult to find a number of compatible colors. I was trying to use mostly bright colors and ran out of selections. I am already medicated and in therapy for my anxiety along with other things. @18 thank you for the advice! I might do that one day and I'll let you know how it goes!

Top comments

Unleash your four year old self and color everything the same color scribbles with hints of weird Browns and rainbow **** ups

snarkytruth 37

Don't get caught up in how it's going to look when it's done. It's the process of putting the color onto the paper that's relaxing. Not the end product. Try crayons, pencils, markers or paint. Find your favorite medium and enjoy playing. Limit your colors and it's a lot easier to choose and not stress over colors. . Only shades of blues (call it your blue period lol) or choose only three or four that compliment each other. Mandela patterns are great to start with there are no rules, right or wrong. Or simply don't choose at all, close your eyes and just pick one up and go with it. Title it Serendipity. Do that on a blank page charge $300 and it's modern art! It is YOUR art It only has to make YOU happy. Practice letting that uptight feeling go. Do a couple of pages intentionally going for the ugliest you can imagine like those ugly Christmas sweaters. Or opposite colors green sky, blue grass, black sun, purple people whatever. Just concentrate on the movement and textures. Explore what color combos are most pleasing to you. Just enjoy the doing of it. It's the journey not the destination yadda yadda.... If you really hate the picture when you're done paint over it or just tear it out destroy it and toss it in the trash and it never existed. ;) Start all over again and try something different. I like to print several copies of the same page and try out different color combinations when I figure out what I like best then do that on the sheet in the book. It makes the book last longer and I get more coloring time out of it. Only rule is to have fun.

Comments

highwayman 9

Put your big girl panties and deal with it

MzZombicidal 36
ChadHelton 8

shut up. when you talk you make the world stupider

I had the same thing! I chose one color for the inside of a plant and it ended up overlapping and I stressed out. I decided to go full out toddler and colored outside the lines! strangely liberating! ;)

sounds like me lol. Don't worry OP, you're not the only one.

This happens to me! I sometimes become overwhelmed by the choices so I choose a page I don't like as much and grab colors at random.

TMO2142 25

Close your eyes, and use the color you pick up

You're taking things way too seriously if just choosing a color stresses you out.

If you're getting stress and anxiety just from that maybe you should go see a doctor and see if there's a medication they can put you on to help control it.

I feel the same way about them. I like making things with perler beads instead.

As someone who also has anxiety I feel your pain. Unfortunately I've never liked coloring (even as a kid I thought it was a waste of time) so I never found them to be of any use. My coping mechanisms involve psychically challenging tasks that require zero mental input like chores, exercise, woodworking, mechanical work, etc. That also helps with my depression.

dunno about coloring books OP. Staying in the lines is REALLY stressful