August 2nd is national coloring book day, so today seemed like a good time to introduce everyone to Color Joy!

I embarked on this journey to create a blog as a way to document my own struggles and wins. Then, I decided that I wanted to empower other women and to step out of the shadows. I wanted to make sure that those who didn’t have access to the same healthcare and resources that I have access to, still knew that they can get help. That there are resources out there, even if they’re not always easy to find and are spread out all over the web.  I wanted to consolidate as many of those resources as possible

So, I created more than just a blog, but a website with all of these things in mind.  If you’re in crisis or you think you may be having symptoms of depression, you can find answers and help here.  And, as always call 911 if you’re in danger of hurting yourself or someone else.

THIS HAPPENED

Here’s the story:  I’m not going to lie – I’m on medication to manage my depression and anxiety symptoms and I see a therapist 6x a month, but medication isn’t needed by everyone, and even on medication I still suffer from overwhelm, anxiety, depressive episodes, and stress.  I can only swallow so many pills. I tried everything out there, just like you. I exercise. I meditate. I pray. I practice breathing exercises.  And, sometimes I got even more overwhelmed with all the options. Do you know how many breathing exercises are out there? Four square and 7-11 are just two examples.

I was struggling with selfcare.  It seemed that it took too much planning, money, and time. Resources I thought I didn’t have.  In actuality, I did, but I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t see through the fog.

Then one day, my therapist not only suggested that I color, but encouraged it – even during our sessions.  And, I discovered that I could color for 15 minutes or for 60 minutes and keep myself distracted from my symptoms long enough to let them melt away.  And, at the same time, I was more focused.

Picture from Woodland Girls

Suddenly the daily stressors started melting away like butter on an Arizona sidewalk, and I felt better than I have in years! I still slip into major depressive episodes, but they’re farther and fewer between because I have tools in my toolbox – and coloring is one of them.

THEN THIS HAPPENED

I went from waking up at noon and isolating myself in my bedroom…and watching TV all day, when I had a business to get off the ground…to waking up at 5:00 AM without an alarm clock, showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and carrying myself down the hall to my office to get things done! I had been working on this very blog, that became more than just a blog, for a year. A year!

After I started coloring, I switched gears, started the site over again from scratch, and got it launched in three weeks! Not only that, I now had two websites. Coloring books and colored pencils sit on my desk so I can take a few minutes as a time-out, whenever I recognize that my symptoms are percolating.  I finally found a selfcare activity that I could do with ease and limited attention, time, and focus.

The other website? It’s accessible from the menu, but in all honesty, after over a year – I’ve closed down the website – for reasons I’ll discuss in a new post, and yet I have all the books available to purchase.

The site was called Color Joy – it was a membership site for women (although we never turned away men) who wanted to carve out time for selfcare, but didn’t have all the resources – time, energy, money..and let’s face it, brain power. Because brain power can be limited too, after working or taking care of a family all day long.

I took away the barriers to a simple selfcare activity, and I still do with access to the books in the shop.

I SEE YOU THERE

Yes, you!

You’re having a tough time sneaking in moments of quiet time, too, and wondering what you have to give up in order to get what you so desperately need. You’re burning the candle at both ends – taking care of your spouse, your children, your home, plus the full-time side hustle.

Now you can carve out some time for self-care even when you don’t think you have any moments to spare. Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s necessary. It’s being on the airplane, losing cabin pressure, and putting on your own oxygen mask before putting on the kiddo’s mask.  That wasn’t always such an easy concept for me. I thought being super- human meant I didn’t need to take care of myself.  It meant putting everyone else before me. Two things happened:

1. I taught everyone else around me that it was OK to pile on extra work because I never said, “NO!”
2. I inadvertently taught my children that they didn’t deserve self-care either. It broke my heart to see my children on the brink of exhaustion. As parents we want to instill a good work ethic, but there’s also merit to “work hard – play hard!”

IF YOU’RE HAPPY BEING ON THE HAMSTER WHEEL, DON’T READ THIS!

When you order a  Color Joy coloring book, you will have get a premium 15-30 page coloring book and be able to….

1. Unwind
2. Calm your mind
3. Reduce anxiety symptoms
4. Reduce depression symptoms
5. Help with distress tolerance
6. Become more mindful

It all comes as part of the new Color Joy line of books.   you’ll be able to download your book, print all or some of the pages, and color on!  You can follow the Color Joy InstaGram account where I post finished pictures by both customers and professional artist, Anita Young.

Try it!   I think you’ll be delighted!

You’ll love being more mindful, having a tool to help with distress tolerance, the ability to unwind, calm your mind, reduce your anxiety, and depression symptoms, and have a way to be creative even if you believe you don’t have a creative bone in your body.

Coloring a page from Mystical Mandalas

HERE’S THE SCOOP

The one thing that was crucial to creating Color Joy: I found most existing premium adult coloring books/pages you can find online to be expensive($4/page) and the cheaper ones, are just that, CHEAP! So, I worked really hard to create Color Joy – a line of adult coloring books with premium coloring pages.

These are pages you’ll want to color! You don’t have to go searching for them. You don’t have to pay per the page. You’ll always have them at your fingertips.

It’s time to play the Color Joy way!