No matter how much effort we put into relaxing after a long day — whether through meditation, fitness, or a hot bath — sometimes we just don’t have the time or energy to commit to going to the gym or focusing on breath work. Personally, the last thing I want to do when I’m trying to de-stress is stare at a screen. I spend my entire day looking at screens, and my eyes and brain simply can’t handle another pixel. That’s why I opt for screen-free activities like reading, crocheting, or, better yet, coloring before bed to wind down.
Now you may be wondering, does coloring ACTUALLY have a positive impact on your mental health? We spoke to Dr. Caroline Fenkel, a licensed therapist and Chief Clinical Officer at Charlie Health, to getting better understand of just how much the simple act of coloring can actually do to relieve stress.
Are adult coloring books good for mental health?
Coloring offers many benefits for mental health, particularly in reducing stress and anxiety after a long day of work or school. Similar to meditating, coloring allows us to focus our mind and engage in mindfulness. Dr Fenkel explains, "The repetitive motion of filling in shapes with color can soothe your mind, allowing you to temporarily set aside worries or stressors that might be weighing you down."
Because the activity itself is very low stakes, it is a perfect way to unwind. You can focus as much or as little as you like, and for however long you choose. "When choosing colors and filling in a design, your brain can take a break from the overthinking that often contributes to stress," Dr. Fenkel says. "It’s a way of giving yourself permission to pause, slow down, and reconnect with a sense of calm."
Not only does it help with de-stressing, it can also contribute to help processing your emotions. "The creative expression involved in coloring can also help you process emotions. Even though it might seem simple, the colors you choose and how you apply them can reflect your inner state," according to Dr. Fenkel.
"Coloring isn’t just a pleasant pastime, but also a small but effective tool for managing stress, nurturing mental well-being, and cultivating peace in a busy world, " Dr. Fenkel says.
So sit back, relax, grab your markers or pencils, and start coloring!
Find Your New Favorite Adult Coloring Book Here!
Amazon
Yournotes Publishing Mindfulness Coloring Book For Adults
This book offers a wide variety of animals and flowers to choose from! The intricate patterns encourage you to pay attention to detail and let you get super creative with your color choices! This book gives you 50 different patterns to color in, so you have enough to last for a while, too.
Amazon
Crayola Flower Coloring Book
This 40 page adult coloring book is a breath of fresh, floral air. Made by Crayola, AKA coloring book royalty, you know the quality on this book is gonna be good. These gorgeous illustrations are on perforated pages as well, so you can tear out your favorites to share on your fridge!
Amazon
Adult Swear Words Coloring Book
Sometimes you just gotta laugh, you know? These 40 single-sided pages are full of swear words and illustrations to help you take the edge off. Some designs are more simple, some are more intricate, and all are a real good time. And if you don't believe me, this adult coloring book has 4.6 stars out of over 3,000 ratings!
Amazon
Kytefox Publishing Stress Relief Adult Coloring Book
This book features larger images, which is perfect if you’re not a fan of smaller details. It has a very nature-inspired and mystical vibe, so if that’s your style, this coloring book would be perfect for you! There are a total of 60 designs to color in, so you've got a lot to work with while you wind down.
Amazon
RYVE Adult Coloring Book for Women
This adult coloring book is "thoughtfully designed to provide a peaceful, mindful experience, combining the joy of coloring with the power of introspection." Each illustration is paired with personal growth prompts, so you can ground yourself even more. This book features bleed-resistant paper, so you don't have to worry about accidentally coloring over your prompts for tomorrow.
Amazon
Cozy Friends: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens
This adult coloring book is perfect for a sweet, cute little vibe! I’ve seen these little characters all over TikTok, and they’re just so adorable! I love the characters and all the cute settings the book places them in. Each of the 40 pages features hand-drawn designs, so you know this one's special.
Amazon
Cozy Spaces Coloring Spooky Cutie Coloring Book for Adults and Teens
With fall right around the corner, I thought it was only fitting to include a seasonally themed coloring book too! I mean could this get any cuter? You definitely wanna pick up this 40 illustration book ASAP!
Amazon
Mindfulness Patterns: Coloring Book with Creative Pattern Designs for Stress Relief and Relaxation
Mindfulness really is the big goal with these adult coloring books. This one has 50 illustrations on single-sided pages, and features "a variety of shapes and zentangle doodle patterns." Don't know what "zentangle patterns" are? Me either! According to Zentangle.com, these are images created by drawing structured patterns — cool!
Large Print Easy Color & Frame - Stress Free Adult Coloring Book
This adult coloring book is spiral bound with larger print — again, that's really helpful for folks who wanna worry less about coloring in all the intricate, tiny little lines. There are 31 coloring pages, with each being one-sided and perforated. Plus, this well-loved book (4.7 stars out of almost 5,000 reviews) features thicker paper to prevent bleed-through.
Markers, Pens, And Pencils For Your Adult Coloring Books
Amazon
SFAIH Brush Tip Alcohol Markers Set
Hands down, this is the best marker set on Amazon for a reasonable price! It’s always helpful to have both thick and fine tips to cover larger or smaller areas of the page. I also love the variety of shades within the same color, and they're all SUPER cute!
Amazon
Caliart 34 Double Tip Brush Pens Art Markers
This is another excellent marker option if you’re looking for an even finer tip! These are perfect if your coloring books have teeny-tiny details, and if you’re a perfectionist (like me) who loves to stay inside the lines.
Amazon
Soucolor 72-Color Colored Pencils for Adult Coloring Books
If you’re more of a colored pencil girl than a marker girl, I highly recommend this 72-piece colored pencil set. They have every color you could ever need! Plus, colored pencils are great for blending if you want to get a bit more technical with it.
Amazon
Artownlar Premium 72 Colored Pencils with Coloring Books Set
Finally, if you’re always on the go or want to color while traveling, you should grab a coloring book set! It comes with everything you need and is perfect for bringing on a road trip, to the park, or even as a thoughtful gift for a friend!
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Header image via Amazon.
If you're anything like me, you treat Christmas like a whole fashion show. Whether it’s a wholesome family dinner or a (not so wholesome) party with hometown friends, I always plan to pull a look or two.
As opposed to years past, I’m looking to shake up my Christmas outfits a bit, playing with multiple patterns, cozy (yet stylish) layers, and, of course, a good pair of boots. Looking for inspo along those lines? We’ve got all the Christmas outfit ideas you need to stun at this year’s festivities.
Check out these 12 Christmas outfit ideas you have our full permission to copy this season!
Kayla Walden
Sparkles are extremely festive this time of year – go all out with a sequined dress to really embrace the Christmas spirit! You can find so many similar options at Anthropologie and Nordstrom. When paired with some cute ballet flats, you'll be feelin' like a little Christmas fairy in no time.
Haley Sprankle
A blazer will never fail to make your Christmas outfits look sophisticated. Layer one on top of a basic cable knit sweater for a classic feel (that'll also keep you super warm)! From there, trousers or tailored jeans will do. Don't forget to accessorize with red Christmas nails and a bold red lip color!
Jasmine Williams
Layers, layers, layers: it's the name of the Christmas outfit game, especially if you live somewhere super cold. But a practical 'fit doesn't have to be boring! Start with a comfy turtleneck and pants (over some leggings for extra warmth), then go crazy by mixing colors and patterns. This plaid + leather combo will be on repeat. Step into your favorite winter boots to bolden up the look!
Ali Ives
Statement jackets are the way to go. This leather one is lined with a furry material that not only holds in your body heat during outdoor excursions, but looks so chic, too. Layer one with some leggings, a black mini dress, and a bright red sweater like this one so you feel cozy all day long! Don't forget the boots, either! 😍
Haley Sprankle
Hair bows are the perfect accessory to rock alongside your Christmas outfits. From sleek sweaters like this one to more formal dresses, they fit the occasion oh-so nicely.
Haley Sprankle
For a *spicier* holiday get-up, don't hesitate to reach for your fave tall boots and little black dress. It's a no-fail combo! With an all-black situation like this one, you won't have to spend extra time worrying about if your outfit is matching perfectly or not. Wear the two pieces with some sheer black tights, or get creative with colored ones, like a bold red or sparkly white.
Kayla Walden
If your personal style leans more preppy, this is the Christmas outfit idea to copy: loafers and a pleated skirt instantly make you look dressed up, but the nice part is you're not sacrificing comfort for style one bit. This outfit formula can span over endless color combos, but we particularly love the burgundy-leaning look with this one.
Meredith Holser
You can never go wrong with a good green or red plaid dress. Bonus points if it's vintage, like this one! You can easily dress it up with tights and a cardigan, with boots or ballet flats to match!
Kayla Walden
Velvet dresses have our hearts (and closets). The material evokes a very vintage-y Christmas vibe that you can style over and over again. We're currently eyeing similar styles to this one from Target and Anthropologie!
Rachael Sprankle
Sequins shine again! If it's Christmas party time, you truly cannot go wrong with an eye-catching ensemble like this one. You'll leave the whole crowd stunned. A sequined dress also makes for some ahh-mazing Instagram pics! 📸
Ali Ives
Bundling up this winter doesn't have to be drab. Throw on a plaid scarf on top of a layered look to embrace all the Christmas vibes!
Kayla Walden
Playing with different materials and non-traditional color combos might just surprise you when it comes to creating the coolest Christmas outfits. For instance, this 'fit combines leather and suede, which contrast each other beautifully. You also might not immediately think of black and brown working well together, but this outfit idea defies all fashion "rules" in that regard.
Haley Sprankle
For a Christmas-y night out (ahem, bar crawl, anyone?), don your cutest holiday sweater with some comfy jeans and boots. We've found some really great options for fun holiday sweaters that are still super stylish!
Haley Sprankle
Get you a good tall black boot, and your Christmas outfit ideas will go far. They work wonderfully with everything from maxi dresses to midi skirts!
Kayla Walden
No matter what you wear this Christmas, there's always room for a playful (and festive!) hair bow.
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Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
There’s always been a sort of DIY element to the IKEA brand, from building the furniture yourself to IKEA hacks to their bolts of Scandinavian-inspired fabrics to make everything from pillows to accessories. Now IKEA stores are blowing it up with Tyg, a new collection of home textiles that inspires us to get creative with fabric.
The pre-cut fabrics come in 3-meter cuts, or a little more than 3 yards each – just enough to get creative with canvas covers, bags, fashion and accessories. Choose from 20 cheerful, vibrant, and nature-inspired patterns that reflect Scandinavian modern design to transform and personalize your space. Look out for the collection in stores this July 2024!
In the meantime, here’s some inspiration for turning them into something you love! Make sure to bookmark it!
Pencil Skirt
IKEA
"Our collections are a homage to the rich Scandinavian design identity that we cherish and aim to preserve," says a rep from IKEA Sweden. There are also some vintage prints in the mix. Try our easy pencil skirt pattern for a fun summer skirt.
No Sew Belted Tote
IKEA
Storage hack: Use these bold prints to cover boring cardboard boxes and add a leather handle for a chic and practical use.
Low-Sew Ottoman Cover
IKEA
Learn how to reupholster an ottoman and pick fun IKEA fabrics to create a statement piece.
Tote Bag
IKEA
You can never have too many tote bags, right? This floral pattern would make for a cute and colorful market tote!
Hugs + Kisses Pillows
IKEA
Try this animal print in our most adorable hugs and kisses pillows. New to sewing? Try our sewing class!
Overall Dress
IKEA
Practice your sewing skills by making a simple overalls dress! This fabric would be perfect.
Box Covers
IKEA
Wrap them like gift wrap around shoe boxes using a staple gun for another easy storage hack.
No Sew Pencil Pouch
IKEA
A small print like this black and white check is great for small projects like a pencil pouch.
Pillowcases
IKEA
Colorful stripes are perfect for a pillowcase pattern (via PurlSoho), where you just stitch two rectangles of fabric together (standard size is 20 by 26 inches) right sides together. Then hem the opening!
Wall Organizer
IKEA
This wall organizer is another easy DIY, where you can sew the rectangle around the dowel, or iron the edges with no-sew hem tape. Hand-sew or machine stitch the pockets, making sure to fold under the edges for a cleaner look!
Planter
IKEA
This drawstring planter cover is a cute idea for covering ho-hum planters or vases.
Kids Travel Pillow
IKEA
Traveling with a kiddo? Keep them comfy with this sweet travel pillow pattern from Joann's.
No Sew Covered Canvas
IKEA
Probably the easiest way to use this fabric is by staple-gunning it around a canvas for an easy and creative art piece!
Laptop Case
IKEA
Protect your laptops with a fabric case in a bold striped pattern. This fabric would also make a great curtain!
Seat Cushion
IKEA
Learning the straight stitch on your sewing machine will get you very far. New seat cushions in every room!
Tasseled Pillows
IKEA
I never met a tassel I didn't love. Add bright colored tassels to this B&W print.
Pocket Patch
IKEA
Pocket patterns are great for adding to furniture and clothes. This top-stitched one is handy for holding the remote, emergency snack bag, or a small book.
Look out for the IKEA Tyg collection in stores this July 2024!
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Images via IKEA