Battling Anxiety

I had no idea the calming effect that coloring would have on me. I'm seriously obsessed with it. I've been battling anxiety all my life, and the older I become, the more I realize how greatly it diminishes my quality of life. It's a daily struggle for sure. 
For the longest time I'd chew gum thinking it was gonna be relaxing, but turns out it was quite the opposite; I chew really hard without realizing, and then I get tension headaches. 
My next thing was playing with Play-Doh (who doesn't love the smell anyway?). This one still works, but when I'm feeling really anxious I squeeze too hard and then it's no fun haha
And just by chance, I discovered coloring just a few weeks ago. It is super inexpensive. 

Here's my first masterpiece, ha!

The book I bought is Flower Designs Coloring Book (Volume 1) by Jenean Morrison. I got it on Amazon for less than $10. I chose it because it's full of flowers and mandalas. I don't really want to color anything realistic. I like these intricate designs.

I got myself some Pentel markers on Amazon as well for $16. Other people like to use regular coloring pencils, BUT I have a feeling I'm gonna start pressing too hard when I color and it'll become a problem. So, I like how I have to actually make a point of coloring gently because these do bleed onto the next page. I'm using a scrap paper to protect the other drawings, but there's only one per page, so it doesn't make a real difference if the ink shows on the back.

You can also download a ton of pages for free. I found a mermaid drawing I really can't wait to color. 

It's been fun. I don't get to do it all the time because, HELLO! I'm a mom haha but if I'm feeling really anxious I try to stop what I'm doing and color, even if it's for a few minutes to regain mental balance.