Colouring books designed specifically for adults came to be one of the best-sellers in stores, their selling point being these colouring books help in relaxation and stress reduction.

From a psychological perspective, as long as it is something you enjoy doing, there is some truth to relieving stress through colouring. Being able to “focus” and to “release” is the key to relaxation and reducing anxiety. It‘s not just the act of colouring, but also the meditative factor. When it comes to meditation, one may often associate it with a religious activity. But in fact, meditation is a broader concept in the field of mental health. Its core purpose is to bring our body and mind back to the “now” and have the focus be in the present moment. Since the 1970s, the concept of meditation has matured and evolved to be part of modern psychology, and it is now widely used in psychotherapies. The fundamental aim of meditation is to control and direct our attention.

Depending on the orientation, meditation can be categorized as Concentrative Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation. Concentrative Meditation refers to bringing our attention to a certain object that is present, such as sounds (ticking of a clock), visuals (painting on the wall), and movements (breathing). As for Mindfulness Meditation, it refers to focusing our attention on whatever that enters our consciousness during that moment, all the emotions, thoughts, and reflections. It is to receive and to acknowledge the information that our consciousness may be perceiving at that moment.