Coloring books are no longer just for kids.
More recently, coloring books have been recognized as a helpful tool for mental health practitioners by mayo clinic. Coloring is good for your health. It promotes mindfulness, reduces stress, and helps “embrace imperfection.”
In “Mind, Body, Soul: A Self-Care Coloring Book for Black Women” includes inspirational affirmations by illustrator Tess Armstrong for Black women to “be vibrant, be creative around the house, listen to music, practice yoga, and spend time in nature.” There are 35 gorgeous art pages filled with images of “Meditate on and transcend the metaphysical dimension” of Oludara Adeeyo. These affirmations include: “I will spend time exploring my purpose.” “I will accept the shape of my body.” “I will break the generational curse.” “Give yourself permission to create boundaries.”
Adeeyo, a mental health therapist, is the author of Self-Care for Black Women and Affirmations for Black Women: A Journal.
“It was a natural progression,” Adeeyo said of the coloring book in a recent interview with The Eagle. “In the first book, I gave tips, and in the second book I put them into action: journaling, meditating, reflecting on my thoughts and words. So I decided to continue with another self-care practice: coloring.”There has been an increase in representation in the coloring space, and I wanted to add more representation of Black women to that space. ”
Adeeyo, who lives in Los Angeles, spent seven years as a journalist working for publications such as Cosmopolitan and XXL before seeking a new path. This journey ultimately led to the first book in her “Self-Care for Black Women” series.
“Mind, Body, and Soul: A Self-Care Coloring Book for Black Women” is the latest in Oludara Adeeyo’s “Self-Care for Black Women” series.
“I was in this industry until 2016. I suffered from burnout syndrome. “I think I was suffering from burnout from my previous job, but when you’re in journalism, you can’t stop working,” she said.
That’s when she realized that not only did she not want to work at her current publishing company, but she also wouldn’t be able to work for any other publishing company in the future.
“I just thought, ‘Okay, if I’m not happy and I’m crying every day, why am I here? It’s time to go home,'” Adeeyo said. She began exploring other options. “I have friends who are a great support system. They were like, ‘So what do you want to do?’ I was like, “I really don’t know. I know you like kids. Maybe I’ll become a teacher,” I thought. One of her friends said, ” “I think you’ll love social work.” Basically, I explored education and social work. ”
After working at a day care, Adeeyo quickly realized that she had no interest in pursuing a teaching career. She began exploring social work as a career.
“So now I thought, grad school is real for me,” she said. She began looking for graduate programs that didn’t require entrance exams. She found a school at the University of Southern California that had a program and campus she liked.
“I just left it up to the Universe and God. I thought, let’s apply, if they accept me and offer me a scholarship, then I have to go. I got in and said, ‘They gave me a scholarship and it became a reality. It felt right,” Adeeyo said. “When I got here, I needed a change of pace. I wanted to try something new. I wanted to prioritize my health.”
Part of that health journey, she said, was inspired by her own mother.
“I lost my mother 10 years ago. She had an autoimmune disease and never took care of herself. That was always in the back of my mind, and I was worried that my mother would never take care of herself. For me, I was like, “I was in a space where I could do that now. I was alone. It was. I’m trying something new,” Adeeyo said. “When I was a student, I decided to look into research on Black women and stress and how it relates to health. That fueled my desire to continue being socially active. I put it on.”
Adeeyo, who recently opened her own private clinic. Dark berry wellness published her first book, Self-Care for Black Women, in 2022 to provide Black women with a positive message about self-care, the message she wished her mother would have conveyed.
“This message is probably something I wish other black women had access to, because in this country, in this world, in this society, black women tend to neglect their own well-being. “They don’t feel accepted. Take care of yourself,” she said. “Also, as a social worker, I understand what it’s like to try to take care of yourself. I work with people who have no idea how to take care of themselves. Because many of us are just trying to live this life and just get through it without realizing how much stressors are affecting us. only.
“I wanted to create a book that wasn’t intimidating. Practicing self-care and thinking about taking care of yourself can sometimes be scary and intimidating. I haven’t done it in a while. And I wanted to write a book that would make me feel like, “Okay, this is now very practical and real for me. It’s great to see how it affects people.” Adeeyo witnessed that change in her own life.
“I gave a copy of my book to a receptionist at a dental clinic. She went from just feeling like she had to struggle with a roommate to thinking about how she could get her own apartment. It became like that,” she said. “A lot of my purpose and goal with these books is to remind Black women of their humanity.”
Dehumanization is often at the heart of the stress and trauma black women experience, she says.
“When we are constantly dehumanized by external forces, we dehumanize ourselves. We believe that we are robots and just have to do XYZ to get through life. It feels like we shouldn’t, but in reality, we can take care of ourselves, humanize ourselves, be compassionate, and give ourselves grace and prioritize our own needs. ”
Read it
“Mind, Body, Soul: A Self-Care Coloring Book for Black Women” by Oludara Adeeyo. Illustrations by Tess Armstrong.
Published by Adams Media, a Simon and Schuster publication
84 pages
$14.99
win
What: Win a copy of Mind, Body, Soul: Self-Care Coloring Book for Black Women and Affirmations for Black Women: A Journal by Oludara Adeeyo.
input method: Email Features Editor Jennifer Huberdeau at jhuberdeau@berkshireeagle.com to tell us about one Berkshire-based summer activity you’re looking forward to. Please include “Self Care Coloring Book” in the subject line. Winners will be determined by lottery from among those who applied. Entries must be received by noon on January 26th.
