Ideas That Work: Art Project

I love to color, and have taken up the hobby to relieve stress. I'm also a tactile and kinesthetic learner — someone who needs movement and hands-on training while learning. Research shows coloring reduces anxiety and improves perseverance (osmag.net/wpnr7g). That's why I decided to hand out colored pencils and copies of intricate pictures taken from adult coloring books to colleagues at the start of the in-services I teach. They love being able to color during the sessions and I've found they're more receptive to learning and open to having productive conversations. Instead of being distracted by the coloring, they're more engaged in the material that's being presented. I've even downloaded a creative picture of a heart to help capture the attention of surgical professionals (osmag.net/zvgj4r).

Tara Buck, MSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM
St. David's South Austin (Texas) Medical Center
[email protected]