The Joy of Coloring

 

I am beginning this month's Awesome Apps feature with Happy Color.  I have been using this app for a few months now and I have found it to be really useful in a couple of ways. 

 First,  I have it on my phone so it is lightweight and portable. 

Second, it is a joy to use.  The colors just flow in a way that does something neat to my brain, everything is gorgeous and the palettes are so beautiful.  There is so much variety.  Happy Color has been around for a few years so there is a lot to choose from. I love colors, and I love looking at beautiful pictures so this really appeals to me. There is a video of your coloring after you have finished.  I have fun sharing them to Instagram.

Third, as a therapy I use it in a few different ways.  I found it to be calming after a day at work.  As an introvert it is a great way for me to recharge after having to do stuff with people.   It's also a great way to practice mindfulness.   I can't sit in lotus position for too long anymore to meditate as my knee bugs me after a while, so this is a good alternative.   There are these mandalas to do that, if you plan carefully, are very rewarding to do as they take mindfulness and focus to achieve and there is the reward when you finish of a really neat show ( which also does neat stuff to my brain).

Fourth, there is no clutter of coloring books, pens, pencils etc which appeals to me.  I already have an excess of stuff which is stressful whenever I look at it.  

I trialed this app last spring for the library... I wanted to find options for mindful coloring to promote during Mental Health Month, and decided to keep this app.  

 It's really worth paying a few dollars to get rid of the ads.   

You can find the app here at Happy Color