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Exercise and meditation are two of the most known ways to manage Parkinson’s disease (PD). Who would have thought that coloring could also help? The benefits of coloring are far-reaching—mentally, emotionally, and physically. Now, people living with PD can enjoy coloring, thanks to pixel color by number apps. 

Adult coloring books have been known to stimulate the mind. Experts agree that art therapy aids patients with physical and mental challenges. This has pushed researchers to study the therapeutic effects of coloring among people with PD. 

Parkinson’s Disease and Art Therapy

Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder that significantly affects movement. People living with PD experience stiffness, shaking, and difficulty with balance, walking, and coordination. 

The symptoms usually begin gradually and get worse over time. According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, as the disease progresses, those with PD may have difficulty in talking and walking. 

PD can also affect the patient’s behavior and mental health, causing depression, memory difficulties, and sleep problems. 

Beyond physical therapy, PD patients may need to undergo speech and occupational therapy to improve their motor and non-motor symptoms. 

Some of the complementary therapies include:

Exercise movement – yoga, dancing, and boxing

Mindfulness training – meditation

Manual practices – massage and acupuncture

Creative pursuits – music therapy, dancing, singing, and art therapy

Many studies support the effectiveness of these complementary therapies, but art therapy is owning the spotlight. 

The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy this way:

Art therapy… uses art media… to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addiction, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being.

Everyone can benefit from art therapy, including people who experience developmental, medical, educational, and social or psychological impairment. 

What does this tell us? Art therapy, particularly coloring, can help PD patients improve their neurologic and mental health. 

Vision Impairment and Art Therapy

PD can cause several symptoms, including dry eyes and double vision. According to Dr. Rachel Dolhun, MD., such visual disturbances can interfere with driving and reading. Vision problems can cause walking or balance problems and hallucinations. 

Some people living with PD have a vision impairment that causes them to have difficulty keeping objects in focus. Our vision and brain work side by side so we can move properly. When they don’t integrate well, it translates into difficulty in activities such as driving, walking, and reading. 

How Pixel Color By Number App May Help Parkinson’s Disease

A pixel color by number app, along with other coloring activities, may help people with PD manage their symptoms. Rehabilitative techniques in PD don’t typically address visual deficits, which can slow down the improvement a person can expect from his therapy. 

Whether coloring and other forms of art therapy can improve visuospatial deficits is still a progressing investigation. 

In a study, however, it has been found that art therapy can improve the patient’s mood, emotional wellness, self-efficacy, psychosocial well-being, and overall quality of life. 

Coloring, Parkinson’s Disease, and Your Mental Health

Coloring (using a pixel color by number app or other coloring tools) proves to offer more than just physical benefits. 

In treating PD, art therapy has been established to improve self-confidence, mood, creativity, motor skills, and overall quality of life. Coloring also offers some intangible psychosocial improvements, such as:

A sense of individuality and independence

Improvement in motor control

Increased pleasure

Fortified concentration

Mind-body connection

Coloring also helps people living with PD to better understand their emotions by expressing them creatively. Improvement in cognitive thoughts boosts a patient’s confidence and social interaction. This, as a result, can improve their physical and mental wellness. 

Why A Pixel Color By Number App Is Great for PD

A pixel color by number app is a great tool for people with PD. The features, specifically the pixelated coloring pages and easy-access coloring tools, allow them to color and express their creativity with ease, despite the persistent physical symptoms. 

A pixel color by number app helps PD patients manage tremors

People with PD experience tremors. In fact, statistics show that 70% of people living with PD are affected by tremor, and stress has been to compound the problem. 

The key to managing tremor is relaxation, and a pixel color by number app offers just that. In our recent posts, we have emphasized well enough how coloring apps, and other creativity tools, can ease the mind and provide relaxation. 

While coloring, the patient focuses his/her attention on the process, resulting in lower blood pressure, slow breathing, and calm nervous system. 

Coloring can fight freezing

Did you know that one-third of people with PD experience freezing episodes? Freezing episodes are short and student movements that occur when initiating turning, walking, or navigating through narrow spaces. 

When you are engaged in a pixel coloring by number app, the brain centers its attention to the task at hand—selecting colors and creating deliberate dot-dot motion. The result is that you are less likely to freeze. 

Of course, there are other ways to manage freezing. Humming a song, counting 1-2-3 before moving, and marching in place a few times before walking are proven ways to prevent freezing episodes. 

Pixel color by number apps improve self-expression and communication

Another prominent symptom of PD is impaired speech. Most people living with PD speak quietly and, at most times, monotonically. In some cases, their speech sounds hoarse or breathy. They might also mumble and slur their words. 

So, how does coloring improve speech impairment? Coloring invigorates self-expression and communication, which are both essential to our well-being. 

Art improves non-verbal communication, too. The act of coloring (and creating an artwork) can benefit you, and by sharing your work with others, you’re strengthening your relationship with them. 

You can use our pixel color by number app to improve your speech and non-verbal communication skills. Not only can you enhance your creativity but also self-expression and confidence. 

iColor Club pixel color by number apps let you share your artwork with other iColor Club artists or with your social media friends. 

Coloring can help you win the battle against depression

Mental health is just as vital as physical health. Although depression is common in other chronic diseases, experts agree that depression hit PD patients more. 

According to Parkinsons.org, at least 50 percent of those with PD will experience depression, and up to 40 percent will experience an anxiety disorder. A person may also feel depressed at any time in PD, even before diagnosis. 

Coloring helps by combating depression. Note here, though, that this doesn’t trivialize the importance of having a support group or therapy with a specialist. It’s always best to seek help from the expert and use coloring as inexpensive self-help outside your therapy. 

Color Well Even with Parkinson’s Disease Using Pixel Color By Number App

People with PD can still enjoy coloring even when they experience tremor and visual impairment. A pixel color by number app, such that of iColor Club, is easy to use. 

The numbered pixels work as a guide to help you, the artist, identify which color fits best on a specific spot. All the colors can be accessed easily without much effort, and filling the boxes with colors is straightforward — just tap, tap, and tap. 

Zoom in on your coloring page to see the numbered pixel much larger, so you can easily fill them with colors. 

Our pixel color by number app comes with hundreds of coloring pages of various designs and themes. You will find coloring pages featuring delectable food, beautiful clothing, intricate patterns, quirky cartoon characters, luxury cars, and more. 

Plus, you can turn your photos into a pixel coloring page, too! Take a snap of your subject, and our pixel color by number app will automatically transform it to a pixelated coloring page. 

You can share your artwork with other iColor Club artists or your social media friends. Simply hit the social media button to share your work directly from the app!

Conclusion

No disease should ever stop you from being creative. People living with PD can still enjoy coloring and creating artworks, thanks to modern mobile coloring applications. By coloring, people with PD can better manage their tremors, improve self-expression and communication, control freezing episodes, and combat depression. 

Related Question

Can stress cause Parkinson’s?

According to research, stressful events can increase the risk of PD. Moreover, studies on animals indicate that stress can damage dopamine cells, which results in more severe PD symptoms. Fight stress by engaging in relaxing and creative activities, such as coloring or singing. 

How does art therapy help anxiety?

Art therapy works by calming the nervous system. It works similarly as meditation—it’s quiet, meditative, and calming, which soothe the symptoms of stress, including irritability and nervousness.