Adult Coloring

Adults are adding a little color to their lives in hopes of stress relief and relaxation - through the pages of coloring books.

“What happens is that coloring taps into that creative part of your brain which is relaxing, it’s kind of like meditation,” says local therapist, Sara Gibson.

The trend started back in the 20th century with psychologist Carl Jung, who used coloring as a tool for reducing stress.

It’s now gaining popularity this holiday season with sites like amazon and even local shops selling out of the most popular editions.

“Could not keep them in stock they were constantly selling out and going back to press and the “Secret Garden” and “Enchanted Forest” were the first two to kick off this trend, and they have these beautiful intricate designs and these were the books that really got the craze going to the point where now we have “Harry Potter” intricate designs and “Dr. Who”. We have everybody and all kinds of designs,” said Co-Owner of Anderson’s Bookshop, Becky Anderson.

But you don’t need anything fancy to get in on the trend.

The library recently started hosting free monthly adult coloring events as a chance to get the community involved.

“Coloring is a way of playing and relaxing and when you do it together it becomes a social event,” said Ruth Kliewer, an Adult Services Volunteer at The Naperville Library.

Adult coloring at the 95th Street Library is on the 1st and 4th Tuesday of the month.

Naperville News 17’s Natalie Vitale