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I find that I can watch much more t.v. with hubby if I color. My choice to relax is reading but I am trying to spend more time with my Bob. With Netflix and coloring this seems to be working for now. My new book to color is Ugly Holiday Sweaters I can finish one an evening . The dementia is not going to go away I am just trying to learn to roll with it.

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I love adult coloring books, you can find them even at Walmart now! I love the smaller designs and use Gel Pens in vibrant colors. It is relaxing and relieves stress! Go for it!
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I've used adult coloring books for years. One year I used the designs, copied them and made them into Christmas and friendship cards, then in a time of weakness decided to hand color all the Christmas cards. By the time I got to about #20, I knew I would never do that again.

If you want to see quite a variety of coloring books, check out the Dover Publications; the coloring books range from simple for children to complex Art Nouveau (my favorite) Alphonse Mucha renditions for adults. Subjects include domestic, wild and Arctic animals, nature scenes, Victorian houses (gasp!!), many phases of history, aircraft, other modes of transportation, flowers, herbs, fairies and other subjects...literally a subject for every interest.

One of the design modules that I find very intriguing are the mandalas, especially the nature and holiday mandalas. They're very clever and diversified.

Coloring also is relaxing, very much so, especially if I spend time to try and shade rather than just coloring.
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I have been doing this for a few years... and love the mandalas..... when I was working 12 hr night shift, it helped me to stay sane... haven't had much time lately to do it, seem to restless to set for that long, but should be able to retire in the next few weeks, so when I find my pencils , it will be like getting them new, all over again.. such simple things make us happy..... hope others read this and start doing it.....it's fun and relaxing...
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Mandalas are a great start. Check out websites which offer free mandalas. Yes, Walmart does carry some adult colouring books though the assortment isn't great. Do you know that one of the best selling books are adult colouring books? I agree mandalas are very cool.
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Amazon has a great selection of coloring books.... I usually get mine from there.
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my elderly patient won't even try them, she grew up in the depression and feels they are a waste of time and money. I love them so I relax coloring when she naps or becomes hypnotized with TV (which we all know is NOT a waste of time or money HA )
Why be difficult when with a little more effort you can be IMPOSSIBLE!
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I love coloring. I relax so much my Up2 thinks I have fallen asleep.
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To me, coloring is an art form. You have the opportunity to blend a variety of colors which can produce something spirited and inspirational, or subdued and meditative. You learn shading, proportion, dimension.

And it's been documented that art has therapeutic value. Sometime this year I watched a program on art therapy for people with dementia I believe the program was on PBS. It was fascinating to see how people gravitated toward and became immersed in the art experience.
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They do help relieve stress a little and help me wind down. It's just a mindless activity that requires no thought other than what color to choose next, and your mind can just chill for a while. We have to make so many decisions every day, it's nice to just have something mindless to do. I'm looking forward to getting a riding lawnmower next spring and letting my mind wander while I mow. It used to be one of my favorite activities.

In a conversation with other "Constant Readers" of Stephen King's works, I brought up that it would be great to have a Stephen King-based adult coloring book. Hundreds of people agreed, so I contacted his reps to see if it was possible to get permission to use the characters/locations in an adult coloring book. No go. :-( Oh well. Would have been fun to create one.
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I LOVE THEM!!! I just ordered the Harry Potter one for my 28 year old daughter, and a Game of Thrones one for myself. (Amazon) They have a Dr. Who one too. I also like doing the Mandalas, as someone mentioned above. It is so relaxing. I'm also working on my Master's Degree and have ordered the Anatomy coloring books that have the internal workings of different animals. It helps me study, without feeling like I'm studying.
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Susan, I think the "mindless activity that requires no thought other than what color to choose next" might reflect the approach of children or someone who doesn't see coloring as an art form, but there are some very sophisticated colored pencil artists who put as much effort into their drawings as master painters did with theirs. It's a whole 'nother level of art, one that's relaxing but also very complicated and requires a lot of study and practice.

I think many people don't realize that there are colored pencil societies devoted to just these kinds of arts.

ukcps.cok/ukcps/gallery.php

Check out this member's gallery:
ukcps.co/members/bauduin_f/

Look at the alertness of the eyes in the larger cat in the first photo.

Or look at the cat at this member's gallery:
ukcps.co/members/garmashova_cawton/index.php

Check out the cottage in this member's gallery:
ukcps.co.uk/members/heilbronn_crown/

The study, time and effort spent to create lifelike cats as these artists have done is very complex, and requires a lot of skill and knowledge. I've tried it; it's not easy, especially to create the depth perception. 'Tis a whole new level of colored pencil activity.
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Well, I guess I'm a child then. :-/
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Susan, I hope my comments didn't offend you; I was just trying to make the distinction between relaxed, enjoyable pastime coloring vs. coloring that requires a lot of planning.
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I love art too but I'm kind of with Susan and loving to have something that lets me drift away from the cares of caregiving and lets my mind wander...sometimes that is when I'm most creative ....kind of like my leaf raking therapy...just getting out there and enjoying doing something, feeling the breezes, and letting my mind drift... :)
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I have also started coloring as a form of meditation.. definitely no serious art for me either. I took a coloring book to my dad with dementia and my elderly mom and they actually seemed to enjoy it as well.
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Susan, you are not a child.... it IS so relaxing to just pick up a pencil and color... our lives has so many 'have to's' and so much attention has to be paid to too many things.... sometimes that's what I do, just color, and maybe that little step back into innocence is exactly what I need... enjoy just picking up the pencil and not giving it any thought... beauty and art are in the eyes of the beholder.... glad you are enjoying yourself for a change !!
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Yes! I have a very detailed one of flowers for pencils , and a kids one for crayons=You can get very detailed doing shadowing and making things look real if you want :) My mother balked at first, then next thing you know she was following my lead
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My mom said she wanted one but hasn't picked it up. She said the first one I got was "too hard" but then I got her on with owls which she liked. Still she won't use it. Very frustrating...
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