Let’s be honest—burnout isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it looks like blank stares, short tempers, and decision fatigue.
But resilience isn’t just about “pushing through.” It’s about knowing how to pause, recalibrate, and keep going without unraveling.
That’s where coloring comes in not as escapism, but as a micro-rehearsal for stress recovery.
What’s actually happening:
Coloring creates micro-moments of calm that allow your nervous system to recover.
It lowers cortisol, boosts dopamine, and regulates your breathing—without you even noticing.
It teaches your brain to focus on process over perfection, which reduces fear of failure and increases adaptability.
This is resilience in disguise: a playful ritual that trains your brain to relax while still engaging, a superpower in any high-stakes environment.
Scientific Proof:
A Stanford University wellness study showed that low-stakes creative activities (like coloring, doodling, journaling) significantly improved stress response and long-term emotional regulation.
Research from Drexel University found that coloring for just 45 minutes lowered participants’ stress hormones and increased feelings of personal efficacy, regardless of artistic skill.
A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology showed that repeated engagement with creative expression built up mental flexibility and resilience over time, making participants more capable of handling setbacks.
“Recovery isn’t time wasted, it’s capacity restored.” – Frontiers in Psychology
Why It Matters in the Boardroom:
Coloring builds grit with gentleness. It teaches leaders to find clarity in chaos and joy in the margins.
When everything’s on fire, coloring is the fire drill that keeps your brain from panicking.
In other words: practicing calm makes calm easier to access.
And your team can’t follow a leader who’s one email away from snapping.
Ready to Try It?
You’ve read the research. Now it’s time to color like your leadership depends on it.
Because it does.
Before your next strategy session, sales sprint, or “we need a miracle” meeting, try this:
Download one of my Troalkind-inspired coloring pages
Grab a pen, pencil, or whatever you’ve got lying around
Set a timer for 5 minutes
And let your mind slow down so it can speed back up, clearer, calmer, sharper
Want some background magic while you color?
Listen to this week’s Troalkind Tales podcast episode, where fantasy meets focus and the trolls might just teach you more about leadership than your last webinar.
Get your free coloring page, explore the Color Story Packs, and unlock a more creative you:
Come for the trolls. Stay for the stress relief.
Because sometimes, the boldest move you can make…
is to pick up a crayon in a world of clickbait and chaos.
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