Written by Olivia Studdard, Staff Writer

I was never a big fan of coloring inside the lines. I preferred to scribble my heart out until my crayons broke and the paper tore and I felt the piece was colorful enough to fill the blank spots left on the refrigerator by the magnets and old family photos.

For the kid in your heart, as well as the anxiety in your soul, there is finally a solution better than buying Hello Kitty coloring books from Dollar Tree. There are now coloring books made for adults.

Adult coloring books are already sweeping the nation. It seems like every store is popping up with their own version of the new trend, each similar yet different.

Some are filled with elaborate patterns and others with animals containing grand designs.  Coloring books designed with curse words written inside the patterns have been made to release stress through the tip of  a coloring tool.

Research has found that not only does coloring help lower your stress and anxiety levels; it can also give you a quick mood boost. As every college kid knows, everyday life is filled with anxiety and stress about deadlines and money and general college life.

After giving adult coloring books a try to see if they were really as great as all the reviews were saying, I found adult coloring to be a truly great experience.

At first, I felt the stress build up, feeling the need for perfection, for every spot to be a particular color. However, after a few minutes of focusing on the book and blocking out all outside distractions, I found the peace and calm these books were promoting.

There is freedom in the process. There is freedom in trying. It is a lot of work to free a mind of anxiety, but it can never hurt to scribble your heart out in a coloring book in the process.