Vicki Sullivan is a retired English instructor and writing tutor. She lives in Portland.

One friend reads murder mysteries, one does puzzles and another gazes at her aquarium. But my way of relaxing is coloring.

When I was a little girl, I used to color with Crayola crayons in coloring books. That’s what kids did then for an indoor activity. And I made sure to color neatly and between the lines.

I took up coloring again when I was in college at the University of Maine at Orono. We girls in the dorm would color during finals week to relieve stress.

Coloring was forgotten until I broke my wrist in 2014. I took up coloring again upon my occupational therapist’s suggestion that the activity would improve the dexterity of my wrist, which was slow to heal. This time I bought adult coloring books and a set of Crayola colored pencils. My wrist did heal, and I found that coloring was good for me, not just for physical healing, but for peace of mind.

To this day I still color, not every day, but when I’m in the mood. I have upgraded my set of pencils to 50, and I have purchased many adult coloring books, such as my favorites of fashions. Sometimes if I want simple pages, I buy a children’s coloring book.

Coloring is an activity that I usually do at home. However, when I used to wait at the car dealership in Portland for my car to be worked on, I would go into the showroom where the TV wasn’t blaring. Armed with my coloring book and pencils, I would sit at a hightop table and color. Some salesmen were amused; others bemused. A woman coloring in public isn’t as common as a woman knitting.

Coloring is a solitary activity. However, I once attended a coloring workshop at a library. It was very noisy, with women chatting and some competing with each other!

Coloring is meant to be soothing and therapeutic. However, my friend Stephanie, a former art therapist, said, “Coloring is not art therapy. But you are making art.”

Coloring relieves stress and allows you to practice mindfulness. When I’m coloring, all I am thinking about is the colors and the patterns. Any sad or unpleasant thoughts just fade away.

When I was going to have major surgery, I was very anxious and having repetitive thoughts and fears. So I turned to my coloring book at the time, one with pretty floral patterns. It helped.

Simple designs are more soothing for me whereas complicated ones like mandalas are stressful to me. And pages with too many images on them make coloring a task, which defeats the purpose.

Many bookstores, box stores and even dollar stores include an adult coloring book section.

You can color when you like and when you want to. You can color in one book or take your pick from a few, as I do. I sometimes proudly send one of my colored pages in a Christmas card to longtime friends. Although no one is judging my coloring job, I guess I still hear my mother’s voice suggesting I do my best.

Coloring has proven to be good for the mind and for the soul. And the colored page doesn’t have to be perfect in an imperfect world.

So why not try coloring? You might find it as delightful as I do.