The human mind is incredibly complex. With millions of thoughts, emotions, and ideas processed daily, it is understandable how the modern mind could become easily fatigued. Besides the burden of mundane responsibilities, the incessant pressure of being productive, endless notification pings, and the cognitive overload of high-value career aspirations, it notoriously stretches mental capacity.

Maintaining sanity while performing at the peak of our abilities amidst mental chaos is becoming easier with the resurgence of paint by numbers kits. This structured art form is slowly gaining popularity as a sophisticated tool for mental and emotional stabilization. Paint by numbers kits are more than a tool, and neither is their daily application a mere hobby. This art form is a mental health hack.

Thanks to its support of a judgment-free environment and the elimination of “analysis paralysis” in choice-making, paint by numbers helps people struggling with mental health issues achieve results that conventional mindfulness exercises barely produce.
In this article, we take a deep dive into five undeniable reasons why this process is a timely hack for mental health challenges.

1. A Swift Entry into the “Flow State”

Best paint by numbers for adults primarily focuses on helping people, especially creatives, students, professionals, and business owners, reach a state of flow. The “flow state”, according to renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is the point where an individual’s perceived skill level matches the perceived challenge of a task.

To illustrate, designing a complex structure for the first time can be overwhelming as the challenge likely outweighs one’s ability. This can be frustrating, and possibly lead to abandoning the task. In the same way, if an assignment is overly basic, it quickly becomes boring as the lack of a challenge may reduce enthusiasm. Fortunately, paint-by-numbers provide the right balance between difficulty and ease.

Although maintaining hand-and-eye coordination throughout the task is mandatory for precision, you already have a guide to the final results. That way, the brain’s prefrontal cortex responsible for anxiety when making complex decisions, becomes less active. The shift of brain waves from high-frequency (Beta) to low-frequency or relaxed waves (Alpha and Theta) patterns will also quiet the inner critic.

2. Eliminating Decision Fatigue

In these modern times, both the current and older generations suffer from “analysis paralysis” and “decision fatigue.” From simple decisions such as selecting an item while online shopping to more complex choices like choosing where to apply for college, the average adult makes up to 35,000 decisions daily. With the brain constantly processing multiple pieces of information, it is no surprise that cortisol levels continue to spike as willpower wanes.

Artistic endeavors typically give room for open-ended questions and infinite decisions. For instance, a painter would consider the best color, ideal brush stroke, or shadow mixing technique before and during a new project. If you aim to reduce decision fatigue and stress, these choices can be overwhelming, causing you to procrastinate or abandon the task. However, paint by numbers eliminates this choice dilemma.

This tool already delegates the color theory and composition for you. That way, you only have to work on the technical or mechanical aspect of painting. With the freedom from decision fatigue this tool brings, you will enjoy the sensory implications of engaging in art without the exhaustion that comes with handling the creative direction.

3. Digital Detox

Modern fatigue is largely due to overexposure to digital tools and frameworks. Although “digital fatigue” mostly affects the younger tech-savvy generation, older adults also experience varying levels of discomfort.

Digital fatigue is inevitable as the average mobile device user spends hours daily navigating the internet or maneuvering pixels with little conversation between their physical activities and the nervous system. This lack of sensory feedback may result in “brain fog.”

One of the best ways to become grounded is by handling a paintbrush. The act of physically engaging in painting can ignite the sense of self-movement and body position. The seemingly insignificant stroking of the paintbrush against the canvas or rinsing off brush tips in water are also tactile grounding techniques.

These activities ignite sensations that eject you from the virtual, digital universe, making you interact with the “real world.” With time, you begin to detach from the abstract world, undoing the toxic habits you may have incurred by spending too much time on the screen.

4. Encouraging a Judgement-Free Activity

Meditation remains effective in improving mental health. However, traditional meditation encourages individuals to acknowledge their thoughts without judgment: an almost impossible assignment. Meanwhile, paint by numbers permits this “non-judgmental observation” by focusing on the external.

With a predetermined layout, the pressure to excel or be the best goes out of the window. That way, you feel a sense of pride with a pleasant outcome while also carrying no burden of shame or guilt if the painting appears slightly off. This allows you to engage in the activity freely, mixing and maneuvering colors without being overly critical of your skill.

5. Low-Level Dopamine Releases

A sense of stagnation is one of the major causes of depression, burnout, and other mental health challenges. When daily living feels like walking through a maze with no hope of making it out of the struggle, the neural faculty craves a sense of completion.

One of the best things about paint by numbers is how it relies on promoting small victories. The slightest task or challenge you complete feels like a win. This ignites frequent releases of low-level dopamine as you see progress almost immediately after you complete a task.

Final Thought

Throughout history, art has always been a means of expression or a mirror for the soul. However, a mere mirror doesn’t cut it in this high-pressure age; an escape from modern toxicity would suffice. Thankfully, paint by numbers offer this escape, allowing us to edge closer to a finished masterpiece one numbered step after another.

In a world with overwhelming demands on our attention, painting can be a gentle way of finding inner peace. Just follow the lines.