Are you ever too old to color? Some feel that coloring is childish but recently, it is becoming a more common way to ease anxiety. With a variety of adult coloring books and a wide selection of crayons, colored pencils, markers and gel pens, who wouldn’t indulge now and then?

At Cascade Academy, we treat girls who suffer with severe anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders. There are many therapeutic benefits for our girls when they color. Carl Jung, a pioneer to psychology, believed coloring could reduce stress. He created and colored Mandalas. Still today, some of the most widely types of adult coloring books are mandalas. When our girls draw the focus away from themselves, and to the page they are coloring, they begin to relax and feel better, which in turn reduces their anxiety. In this relaxed state of mind, they can be more open and receptive to therapy.

Coloring is not a “left’ brain or “right brain activity, it activates all hemispheres of the brain. When they are creating artistic coloring choices, they are utilizing the creative side of their brain. They need to focus and organize which stimulates the frontal lobe. Fine-motor skills and problem solving activate the rational side of their brains.

At Cascade Academy we always strive to teach our girls to maintain a balance and create awareness that our physical, mental, emotional and social selves need to be nurtured daily. They engage daily in some form of physical activity, attend classes in the afternoon to stimulate their minds, emotionally check in with their therapist and mentors often and engage with community members, staff, and family daily. Amidst their busy schedule, we still provide quiet moments for them to relax, reflect and create something beautiful.