I submitted my thesis this week! I think I already talked about this, but it is such a big accomplishment that I want to talk about it again! I feel relieved, but at the same time I am thinking about the changes that I will need to make to my paper so it is a true and polished representation of my work and time at UMW. This leads me to today’s coloring session. Today I colored an ocean scene, and for the past couple of days I have been coloring scenes of the sea because I love to imagine how calm it is under the water. That got me to thinking about all of the things that I could think about is I were underwater, so much less distraction and noise other than dolphins clicking and the sound of waves. But even those noises are so much more calming to me than anything that are on land. This allowed me to think about being not just mindless while coloring, but truly mindful. Take the time I am allowing myself to break from school and think about my day, my friends, family, things that make me happy, etc. In the article “Designing scalable micro‑interventions for student wellbeing in higher education: a comparative study of digital and paper colouring” by Emma C. Palmer-Cooper, Rose Seneviratne, and Evie Woodford discusses this exact issue.
In this study, they researched 390 college students tasked with coloring for at least ten minutes three times a week. The students were asked to be mindful while studying, and they used the definition of “the awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings in-the-moment, and involves non-judgement acceptance of experiences.” This definition is key, as it makes people, and especially for this study, aware of their surroundings and the things that are happening around them. In a world and time in our lives where college students are expected to keep going no matter the burnout. Often, students get so engrossed in the schoolwork and so worried about their grades that they forget that college is also about the experiences and people you meet. This study encouraged those who participated to be mindful, to think about things outside of school. After reading this article, I wanted to replicate that idea.
I put on some calming classical music and just let my mind go. I thought about what I would have for breakfast tomorrow. I’m hoping to stop by my favorite coffee shop on my way back home. A little something to bring me joy before an appointment. I also thought about my friend that I am studying with, enjoying my time with them as I haven’t seen them in a while. I thought about the trivia event that I am going to tonight and am hoping that we will win, at least have fun. I thought about my drive home tomorrow and getting to see my dogs and parents. I thought about my roommate and watching a show with her later tonight. I thought about my plans tomorrow night to watch a movie with my two best friends. Thinking about all of these things did not make me overwhelmed; instead, it made me grateful to have so many positive things to think about while stepping back from schoolwork and enjoying a coloring session. This took me about ten minutes, and I already feel so much better and more centered after a long day of working out, work, class, and schoolwork.
The conclusion of this study was that self-guided coloring significantly reduces stress seen among stressed-out college students. So, with my participate in this idea, I hope that it will help me to ease my stress. This study also suggests that by coloring for ten minutes on a regular basis, about three times per week, it can help to increase attention span. So, instead of your break from work being scrolling TikTok or Instagram on your phone, take ten minutes to color and think about the things happening in and around you. You will most likely see the effects in both your ability to stay on task longer and to listen to your friends for a longer period of time.
