Part of healing involves a release—the part where you get to unload the intensity of what you are feeling.

I call these release valves.

We all need them. In fact, we all need several. You likely have some already. Exercise, listening to music, meditation can all be releases. What constitutes a release is unique to you but in general, a release is anything that allows you to transfer the heaviness and intensity of your emotions from inside your body to outside your body.

We know releases well. We already have this in our language. We say things like:

“I feel like a weight just lifted off my shoulders.”

“I had to get it off my chest.”

“The pressure is finally off.”

“I feel lighter.”

Writing, singing, journaling, speaking (with others or ourselves), painting, drawing, doodling, building etc. can help with this transfer of energy. My easy way of releasing has been coloring.

I’m not one for artistic endeavors that call for drawing or painting, I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler, but coloring? I can handle coloring. Markers, crayons, colored pencils, and staying in the lines (if I want to). I can handle that.

I suggest coloring as a low-lift way of offering yourself this release valve. Once, when making this suggestion, a person replied with “I would get more stressed out from trying to decide what colors to use!” Okay, so a couple of things to unpack here.

This is a fair point and so coloring may not be for you BUT also, if choosing colors brings about that level of stress, this might be the low-stakes practice you need.
The colors don’t actually matter. Anything can be any color. The sun does not have to be yellow. If you make it purple, who cares!? Coloring is an exercise in releasing what we have been programmed to think is the “right and only” way for something to look like. Coloring doesn’t have to be an exact replica of reality as we know it. We are allowed to use a magical inner resource: imagination.
If color choice is that much of a problem, get you one of those color by number books where they tell you how each number should be colored. Problem solved. But really, if color choice becomes this big of an issue, be sure to uncover why.

Why I think it works:

I am not thinking about anything else. I’m a specific kind of overthinker, I’m an over- analyzer. When I am coloring, I’m not analyzing anything.
It offers me a sense of completion. When I have large patches of space to color, it feels soothing to know that for the next couple of seconds or even minutes I know exactly what to do, how to do it and that I will be successful. The stakes are extremely low and I get the dopamine hit of completing something concrete and tangible.
I get to use my imagination. I can’t control the world we live in, but I can activate my creativity and be a part of something that feels fun, simple and safe.
It feels like playtime. There’s a deep part of me that feels honored, or satisfied, or I don’t know…but it feels good. My best guess is that it’s my inner child. Little Jessie probably feels like: “Yes, something fun. No big people problems, no fear, no bills, just something fun.” I like knowing that she is getting space to play.

Color away. You can play it cool with one of the adult coloring books or just steer into the skid and get a kidscoloring book. Color alone, with friends, or with family, but just release.

Here is some inspiration from my own coloring adventures.

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You Need a Release Valve