Coloring For Comfort
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DALLAS (CBS11) - If the news cycle of late has you searching for a hug, comfort food or both—you're not alone. But, before falling victim to 'comfort' that comes with consequences (yes, back away from the mac 'n cheese) consider this: try reaching for the colored pencils, instead.
"Coloring is actually nostalgic," says Betsy Booth, a registered nurse at Baylor Scott & White Plano. "So we have the opportunity to go back and embrace something from a simpler time, a less stressful time."
Booth has spent more than three decades in the high stakes, often high stress world of healthcare. So when the registered nurse and nurse advocate went looking for ways to help her colleagues relax, the idea of grown-ups coloring, wasn't exactly thinking outside the lines.
"We are in the moment. In the present. And when we do that, the part of our brain that handles fear and anxiety actually has an opportunity to relax and cool for a little while. So we are bringing stress reduction through something as simple as coloring."
And colleagues have become fast fans.
"It does work!" insists Yackita Dorsey, RN. "I will say that it has worked for me. I've definitely had great results with my anxiety and stress level, coming in here for 5 to 10 minutes and really de-stressing for that moment."
And it's not just hospital staff turning to coloring books for comfort. According to Booth, patients can also be spotted clinging to the coloring books as a peaceful distraction during a difficult diagnosis or to pass the time during chemotherapy treatments.
The idea of coloring as 'stand-in comfort' became so popular at Baylor Scott & White Plano, that hospital staffers turned it into a contest.
Departments formed teams and turned the wind down tool into an opportunity to strengthen relationships.
"It's an icebreaker," says Booth, "and it's also just a temporary reprieve from the stress we're living in... and the stress that's a part of our personal lives and our world right now. I think it's fun and I think it's a healthy alternative right now."
Of course, allowances can be made to sacrifice some relaxation in the spirit of healthy competition.
"We have submitted our winning coloring poster," added Dorsey with a laugh, "and we expect to have our prize very soon! We were very, very, competitive—making sure that everyone colored in the lines!"
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