Mindfully Healing

Many colouring in books advertise themselves as ‘art therapy’, but do they make people feel better? Colouring in books do help to improve people’s mood, new research finds. However, ‘real’ art therapy has other advantages on top, the authors argue. Dr Girija Kaimal, who led the study, said: “The main takeaway is that coloring has some limited benefits like reducing stress and negative mental states. But it does not shift anything else of substance, develop relationships, nor result in any personal development.” Art therapists argue that therapy is about more

How to identify autism before 18 months of age. Autism is not usually diagnosed before two-years-old. However, the subtle warning signs can be seen even earlier — perhaps before the age of 18 months. The earlier a child is diagnosed with autism, the quicker the treatments can begin. The five early warning signs of autism are: More limited and repetitive play, less name response, less social smiling, less babbling, limited gesture use. Before one-year-old it is difficult to spot any of these signs. But between 12 and 18-months, it is

Being sarcastic, ignoring deadlines and these five other unusual things are all linked to higher creativity. 1. You are sarcastic Sarcasm can actually promote creative thinking, a study finds. Researchers have discovered that sarcasm can actually cause creativity, rather than just being its byproduct. Sarcasm may not even be detrimental to relationships, if used between people who know each other. Despite being considered one of the lowest forms of wit, sarcasm actually requires considerable mental powers to produce. 2. Your mind wanders People tend to think of daydreaming and letting