9 Adult Coloring Books for Your Inner Stress-Free Child

Jen Wallace |

Sep 10, 2024

You probably thought your coloring days were in the past. Well, the reality is that adulting is hard, and it apparently stresses most people out. Some turn to yoga and meditation as a way to manage their stress, but those solutions don’t work for all. Enter adult coloring books.

While the term adult coloring may conjure up NSFW images, that’s not exactly what we are talking about. Adult coloring simply refers to the act of coloring to relieve stress. And while you may choose some more adult coloring materials, it’s certainly not required.

For some, the Zen of adult coloring isn’t new, but for others, it’s a relatively recent concept. The coloring books by illustrator Johanna Basford can be blamed for the recent boom in the trend. “Secret Garden,” her first book, came out in 2013 and has sold more than 16 million copies and has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Her books have spurred on an adult coloring book cottage industry that has taken off like gangbusters. It’s now possible to find books that run the gamut from the sweet to the dark side of things and everything else in between.

No matter what your tastes run toward, the benefits of adult coloring are undeniable. The practice can help lower your blood pressure, just like traditional mediation has been shown to do. It may also bring about mindfulness in your life and help bring about a sense of calmness to help you unwind from the day. We all need downtime and for those who find meditation to be a challenge, coloring just might do the trick.

And for you more creative types who might scoff at coloring in someone else’s illustrations–don’t knock it until you try it. You just might be surprised at the therapeutic benefits you discover. Coloring both inside and outside the lines is allowed!

To help you get in on the action, we have pulled together a fun list of some of our favorite coloring books, from nature-themed to swear word-themed, that will appeal to adults. The list is by no means exhaustive, so work your way through these titles and then see what other books you can find to inspire more zen in your life.