The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-stress Art Therapy for Busy People

I honestly cannot remember the last time I sat down and just didn't have to think. Stick your music on and for a while, you can just zone out. It's easy to be sceptical about a purchase like this, for starters: if you're an adult, you probably don't think this will work and that you won't have time for all the individual patterns and drawings.You also may think that colouring in is for children. I believe the aim of this book is what it says on the cover, "anti-stress art therapy for busy people." I'm at university and suffer from a mental health condition and find that it eases me out of my thoughts and gives me something of my own to work on. Nobody can judge this as it's simply yours to create and somewhat 'destroy'. If you feel bothered that you will have to buy colouring pencils to go with it, fear not. The patterns are simple and quirky enough that you could colour in with two separate coloured biros, unlike myself who will shade for hours on end and become quite engrossed in what I am creating. This is great for kids also (due to the simplicity), either with their own individual books or as a shared activity with you and your child/children. I was worried about the size of this book originally when I saw a few friends post about it on other social media sites, but it fits into my jacket pocket! It's roughly the thickness of a PS4 game case, but a little taller so it's very easy to carry around in handbag or a schoolbag. The pages are thick enough to use markers that won't go through (however you might want to test this yourself as each marker is different in strength). Each page is individual although you may find on one/two shared pages that the pattern is repetitive, it's still not worth fussing over as you can decorate it as you please. All in all it's a fantastic product and I cannot wait to finish it - you can just pick up from where you left off and not have to worry.

Now my boys are so much older I miss the crafty things we used to do together. I miss making and colouring in mandalas, doodling, colouring in squares, drawing, painting ... It was always so therapeutic - a great way to calm down. Recently watching an activity taking place at work made me determined to get at least colouring again so I set out to have a look to see what was available on the market. What did I find? Colouring for adults :) How great to see how popular it was too! I read through the reviews and decided on The Mindfulness Colouring Book. I love the tag 'Anti-stress art therapy for busy people.' It works :) I love the compact size (12.4 x 1 x 17.7 cm) and the paper is quality. There are intricate designs and simpler ones plus there are a couple of blank pages for your to do your own. I've tended to flick through and pick a design to suit my mood. Admittedly so far my colouring has taken place at night by a dim light but it doesn't matter to me too much what it looks like, it's the result of taking my whirling mind away from the day that's passed or the ones yet to come that's important. Highly recommended

One of the very first adult colouring books I purchased- worth every penny! Very relaxing images, and lots of variety! -Format- One important factor to note about this book before purchasing is its size. It roughly measures 13.5 x 1.1 x 17.7 so it is considerably smaller than most colouring books you might be familiar with, however, this makes it the ideal "pocket sized companion" -great to pop in a handbag and bring with you on your travels- will definitely while away the time and beat the boredom:) The images are double sided and the paper is bright white. It's not artist quality but its thicker than standard printer paper. -Illustrations- The most important part of course! Emma Farrons has done a wonderful job creating this colouring book. There are many pocket colouring books on the market but this is the best I've seen. It's jam-packed full of soothing images (112 pages in total) such as highly ornate birds, decorative leaves, patterned mushrooms, teacups, cute sleeping foxes, tranquil waves and of course a lot of intricate patterns/kaleidoscopic/patchwork type images. The line work is not quite perfect: no exact triangles, perfect circles or super straight lines- so all perfectionists like me don't have to be too pernickety when colouring! All of the images are highly intricate and really detailed offering plenty for you to focus on and to encourage mindfulness and relaxation. -Which pens/pencils should I use in this book?- As the images are double sided alcohol markers (Sharpies, Copics, Spectrum noir etc.) aren't suitable as they will bleed through and ruin the reverse page, watercolour will of course buckle the paper. I personally recommend using either pencils or water based markers/fineliners (Staedtler triplus fineliners, staedtler fibre tips, Stabilo fineliners/fibre tips, crayolas etc.) Fineliners are probably your best option as the designs are very intricate and so a fine tip is ideal! Remember to always pop a sheet of paper behind the page your working on to prevent ink/pencil transfer:) You really can go mad with the colours- everything and anything, you're not limited to a strict colour scheme! -Why I love it!- You really can't go wrong with this book- at such an affordable price, there's tons of images to colour which would keep you going for years! Images are so relaxing to colour and really take your mind of everything else for a while! If your new to adult colouring this book is a good one to start with. Overall, I just love this book, as the title suggests its ideal for busy people, most of us get stressful at times and there really is nothing better than to take a few moments out of your day to relax and colour, cuppa in hand:)

I manage a restaurant and anyone who works in the catering business will know how stressful this occupation can be, staff not showing up or customers not happy and will complain about anything... enough about my day ...but when I come home I pick up my little doddle book and I begin to colour the stress just melts away. Who am I fooling? Stress doesn't melt away but it helps me keep my hands busy so I don't choke anyone. I do however recommend this to anyone who wants to keep their hands busy and when you just can't be bothered to do a crossword due to lack of sleep or because you've pulled a double shift and you're too tired ,this book does the trick. Its a great size as it fits in your hand bag so you can carry it to work and doodle on your break,that's if you get one!

Plenty of patterns to keep your mind ticking over & good quality have brought a simlar book at a cheaper price so could be doing with coming down abit but was brought as a prezzie for my grandaughter

I like the patterns in the book, they are beautifully drawn and would appeal to many. The issue I have with the book is that there is not always a consistent number of lines/ areas to fill in on a drawing. For example, there is a page with waving ribbons, 5 of which have 5 lines, but one only has 4. There are several cases of this in the book. Personally I found this more stressful that it was calming, because I could not continue my pattern, so if you are the kind of person who would be affected by that then this book may not be the best for you. However, if you don't mind that, then the book does have really pretty drawings and would be perfect.

This book is fabulous! The paper is of good quality, I haven't seen any bleed through yet (having finished three pages so far) and the designs have a fun, quirky feel to them. The book itself is about A5 size so I find it perfect to bring with me on the go when I only carry a small bag with me. But don't let the size of this book deceive you- the designs are still detailed and are proportionate to the page; they haven't been scaled up or down for printing. The printing has been done to a good standard too; the lines are solid although the designs are deliberately 'illustrative' and hand drawn, and nothing smudges as you colour. The cover is sturdy and not so thick that the book closes itself when you are trying to use it. The only problem I have, and its pretty silly, is that the designs run all the way to the edge of the page. On outside edges, this isn't a problem, but it means along the centre of the book its awkward to get into the fold of the book without accidentally colouring the page next to it too. Overall this is a fantastic book, just what I was looking for!

I love this book, it is such a comforting feeling colouring in the beautiful designs. You can spend five minutes or an hour and it is most definitely anti - stress art. I have never been able to draw or paint and this is probably the nearest I will get to doing something artistic. You can just let your imagination run riot with colour. I use Bic Conte colouring pencils, which are really good and sharpen really well. I love helping my grandchildren colour in but this is for me - adult colouring in books who would have thought it. Although I am retired it is something that is suitable for any adult so give it a try.