art,

Coloring Therapy Geek-style

11/19/2016 House of Geekiness 1 Comments
Can I make a confession? I love to color! It's something I've never outgrown, and I don't think I ever will. The fact that adult coloring books have become popular makes me so so happy—not just because it means I'm not the only one, but it means it's easy to find great coloring books! My kids were getting really sick of sharing their coloring books with me and the pages in the kid coloring books were just too simple.
Page from Relaxing Therapy Coloring Book
Now, granted, my style of coloring isn't the typical bohemian style that is popular right now (where you color every single millimeter a different color, so it becomes a beautiful rainbow mosaic.) I prefer blocks of solid color, for the most part, on detailed pictures like these you see here in the pictures I've colored.

Page from Relaxing Therapy Coloring Book
I also don't like to use the standard colored pencils or gel pens. Actually, I really love using gel pens, and I love the variety of colors that are available in colored pencils, but I hate sharpening pencils (that and plastic wrap are bane of my existence!) and gel pens just don't last long enough. With my style of using a lot of one color per coloring page, I was going through a whole gel pen for one picture.

Page from Relaxing Therapy Coloring Book
Then, walking through Costco, it hit me: Sharpies! 
Iron Man art colored with Sharpies at Free Comic Book Day
I'd seen comic book artists use Sharpies to color their drawings at Free Comic Book Day (read more about Free Comic Book Day here, it rocks!) So I tried using Sharpies for my adult coloring books and coloring therapy. Love them!!

Page from the Doctor Who Coloring Book
They do have a few drawbacks (no pun intended!), like not as many colors available and having to find ultra-fine tip vs. fine tip, and the metalic colors (which are my favorite to use because it feels like I'm painting!) covering up the picture's lines (which I have to redraw). Actually, in all these coloring pages with gold or silver ink, you might be able to see where I had to redraw the lines in black ink (which is actually kind of fun if I don't completely mess it up—like I did with the cyberman in silver above...)

I'm having so much fun coloring! Not only is it a great way to relax, it helps me listen when I normally would have trouble concentrating (I have ADHD Inattentive).


Here are a few things to help you get started (or have even more fun if you're already addicted, like me). These are the two books I've tried so far. Love them both! Relaxing Therapy Coloring Book (I found mine at Costco but Amazon has it as well) and The Doctor Who Coloring Book. I've included all of the geeky coloring books that are on my wishlist.

Coloring Supplies


Sharpie Fine-Tip Permanent Marker, 24-Pack Assorted Colors (Great for larger blocks of color and consistent/smoother lines)

Metallic Sharpies

Ultra-fine tip Sharpies

SUDEE STILE Color Pencils Set (120 Colors) Colored pencils come in a HUGE variety of colors and allow for more artistry in shading, etc. 


Gel Pens 120 Top Quality Gel Ink Pen Set with Compact PVC Case  Gel pens make me feel like I'm painting. If you're going for the popular style of lots of different colors per coloring page, this is a fun option!

Geeky Coloring Books for Adults

Doctor Who Travels in Time Coloring Book

Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairytales

Serenity Adult Coloring Book

Harry Potter Coloring Book


Star Trek: The Next Generation Adult Coloring Book 

Color Your Own Star Wars

Art of Coloring Star Wars: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity and Relaxation (Art Therapy)

Supernatural: The Official Coloring Book


Harry Potter Magical Creatures Coloring Book

Harry Potter Magical Places & Characters Coloring Book

Harry Potter Magical Artifacts Coloring Book

Art of Coloring: Disney Villains: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity and Relaxation

Art of Coloring Disney Princess: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity and Relaxation (Art Therapy)

Art of Coloring: Disney Animals: 100 Images to Inspire Creativity and Relaxation

Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book

The Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy Coloring Book

DC Comics Colouring Book


Harley Quinn & the Suicide Squad: An Adult Coloring Book (Coloring Dc)

Coloring DC: Batman: Mad Love Featuring Harley Quinn (Dc Comics Coloring Book)


Coloring DC: Wonder Woman

DC Comics Wonder Woman Amazonian Princess Coloring Book - Softcover 96 Pages


The Flash: An Adult Coloring Book (Coloring Dc)

Coloring DC: Batman-Hush Vol. 1 (Dc Comics Coloring Book)


Color Your Own Doctor Strange


Color Your Own Civil War

Color Your Own Women of Power

Color Your Own Deadpool

Kickin' It Old School Coloring Book (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) (Adult Coloring Book) 

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    depression,

    My Battle for Better Health: Depression and Isolation

    11/16/2016 House of Geekiness 0 Comments



    Den petting a colt
    While moving to California to Save our Dad (read more about our incredible quest here) has been well worth it, not everything has been sunshine and rainbows. Packing, moving, and adjusting has been a grueling process, and I'm just not back to myself yet. Aside from the physical issues (which are painful and many), anxiety and depression have been trying for the world record. 

    Grimm
    There were a few weeks I pretty much locked myself in my room watching Downton Abbey, Doctor Thorne,  Poldark, and Grimm on Amazon Prime while playing Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes on my phone, wishing the days would pass me by, and that people would just stop expecting anything of me. 


    I had no idea how far gone I was until Erik kidnapped me for a date. Being out in such a peaceful, lovely place was very healing (and that's not a term I normally use). Not only because of the nostalgia of childhood days at my uncle's ranch, but there's just something about being out in nature that calms me. 

    The house, museum, visitor's center, etc. at Rush Ranch
    Returning home, I was shocked at how much better I already felt. Yes, I was still depressed, but the world seemed a bit brighter and I felt more awake.

    It makes sense, really. One of my 5 Things You Can Do To Help Someone with Depression (read more about helping someone—including yourself—with depression here) is to "help them see from a healthier perspective." Getting out of the house, pretty much anywhere, can help, but someplace you enjoy and can relax is best. Going outside of your own dark little world like that, even for just a short time, can make a big difference. Like I mentioned in 5 Things You Can Do To Help Someone with Depression, change is one thing that therapists have regularly recommended. They've told me to rearrange furniture, switch up my schedule, spend time with friends, exercise, or just get out of the house—any positive change that will help my brain jump onto a different track [can] help me be able to think more objectively and feel better.

    Image Source
    In addition to mental benefits of getting out of the house, something a lot of us don't think much about, but can be a big issue this time of year, is indoor air quality. Believe it or not, our homes have air pollution (radon is one of the biggest culprits—read more about indoor air quality here), especially when all the windows and doors stay closed and fresh air is not allowed to circulate. One of the symptoms of exposure to indoor air pollution is fatigue. Since that's also a symptom of depression, that's something that can be masked by depression or even made worse, each problem feeding off the other. 
    Our oldest, then 8 years old, after his tonsillectomy. The nurses gave Hobbes a bandage as well since our son had to get one.
    I won't get too much into it now, but one year, my almost every member of my family had to have sinus surgery and/or tonsillectomies as a result of indoor air pollution.

    So, if you're experiencing depression and fatigue, especially with cold or allergy-like symptoms, be sure to consider the quality of your indoor air. Take a few minutes and remove yourself from your isolation. It's alright to go somewhere you can still be alone, if that's what you want, the important thing is to get out. 

    Den loved telling us all about the cows. He used to work with them in his early days.
    I'm almost done talking for now, but let me finish by saying that it seems silly, but I'm shocked every single time by how much better my depression gets after I've gone out and done something I love.

    Hope some of this helps! Here are some pictures my daughter took the other day when Grandpa Den and I took them to Rush Ranch. (Please be nice. I'm sharing an especially unflattering picture of me in here!)



    A distant view of Fairfield/Suisun City, CA





    I LOVE how the black spots literally stick up off the white of his coat!




    Cows in the pasture



    Den and I petting the horses




    Gopher hole?
    Hoof print
    A barn owl

    My goals

    I want to have energy to spend time and actually do activities with my family.
    I want to be able to be physically active. I’m not saying I plan on running marathons, but being able to exercise and do basic housecleaning on a daily basis would be nice.
    I want my mind to feel less foggy all the time so I can do my job well and enjoy being in the profession I love.
    I want to be healthy and be at a healthy weight.
    I want my life back! I will look for the best in my life and realize what I truly have, always striving to make it better.


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