Color Your Feelings Worksheet

Using colors in art therapy to express emotions

Color plays a pivotal role in shaping human perception and emotional responses, influencing psychological states in subtle and profound ways (Elliot, 2015). Research suggests that color can significantly impact mood and cognition, mediating our emotional experiences through its visual qualities (Babin et al., 2003). Certain colors are consistently linked to specific emotional and psychological states, with studies indicating that these associations may be culturally and contextually informed (Jonauskaite et al., 2020; Kawai et al., 2022). For instance, warm tones like red and yellow are often associated with heightened energy or agitation, while cooler hues like blue and green are linked to calmness or sadness (Babin et al., 2003).

In the context of art therapy, the deliberate use of color offers an additional layer of therapeutic value. Color can serve as a powerful nonverbal tool for individuals to express complex emotions and psychological experiences that may be difficult to articulate with words. The visceral impact of color on the mind and body is well-documented, with studies indicating that color stimuli can influence heart rate, blood pressure, and overall psychological well-being (Withrow, 2004). This makes color an ideal medium for facilitating emotional expression and processing in art therapy.

Moreover, color is particularly important to nonrepresentational art forms, which can bypass cognitive defenses and access deeper emotional processes. Nonrepresentational art allows individuals to engage with color more intuitively and abstractly, providing a safe space for unconscious material to emerge. This approach can address therapeutic gaps left by more representational forms of art, where individuals may struggle to express emotions that do not fit neatly into recognizable forms or symbols (Withrow, 2004).

Integrating color into art therapy thus offers mental health professionals a versatile tool for helping individuals explore and articulate their emotional experiences, providing both immediate and long-term benefits in emotional processing and regulation.

What is a Color Your Feelings Worksheet?

Building on the concept of color as a powerful tool for emotional expression, a Color Your Feelings Worksheet offers a structured yet creative way for individuals to explore their emotions through color. This art therapy tool encourages clients to select colors that resonate with their current emotional states, providing an accessible avenue for expressing feelings that might otherwise be difficult to verbalize.

As highlighted earlier, color profoundly impacts our psychological and physiological responses, with specific hues linked to distinct emotional states (Babin et al., 2003). Our Color Your Feelings Worksheet taps into this connection by inviting individuals to reflect on their emotional experiences and then use color to visually represent these feelings. This can help clients process complex emotions, identify underlying issues, and gain insight into their emotional landscape.

How to use our Color Your Feelings Worksheet

Carepatron’s Color Your Feelings Worksheet is designed to help individuals of all ages express and process their emotions creatively. Whether used in one-on-one therapy, group settings, or self-reflection exercises, this tool allows participants to explore their emotional states through color. Follow these steps to get started:

Step 1: Download the template

Click the "Use template" button to access the worksheet via the Carepatron app, allowing you to customize it to fit your client's needs. For a PDF version, choose "Download."

Step 2: Prepare your materials

Once you’ve downloaded the template, gather all the necessary materials. This could include coloring tools like crayons, markers, colored pencils, or paints. If using the digital version, ensure your clients have access to a compatible device for digital drawing or coloring.

Step 3: Explain the activity

Introduce the worksheet to your client or group. Explain that the purpose is to explore and express emotions through color. You might want to discuss how certain colors can represent different emotions, such as red for anger or passion, blue for sadness or calm, and yellow for happiness or energy.

Step 4: Reflect and color

Ask participants to take a moment to reflect on their current feelings or recent emotional experiences. Using the worksheet, they can assign colors to these emotions and apply them to different sections of the template. Encourage them to let their creativity flow without worrying about “right” or “wrong” answers.

Step 5: Review and discuss

If used in a therapy or group setting, allow time for reflection and sharing. Discuss what the colors and patterns represent and how they relate to the individual’s emotional state. For self-guided use, encourage journaling about the process and insights gained.

Benefits of using our template

Using the Color Your Feelings Worksheet comes with a range of benefits that support emotional expression, processing, and awareness. Whether you’re a therapist or social worker looking to help your clients explore emotions creatively, here are some key advantages:

• Effective art therapy project: This worksheet offers an engaging art therapy activity that helps clients express feelings in a nonverbal, creative manner. It’s an excellent tool for therapists, social workers, and counselors.
• Understanding different emotions: The worksheet encourages participants to identify and explore various emotions, enhancing emotional literacy and awareness.
• Activity for children and adults: Suitable for all ages, this tool adapts to children’s developmental needs while remaining meaningful for adults, making it a universal activity.
• Encourages emotional processing: By focusing on current feelings and assigning colors to them, participants can process emotions safely, structured.
• Stress-relieving coloring sheets: The act of coloring itself promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and fosters mindfulness, making it a calming activity for clients.

References

Babin, B. J., Hardesty, D. M., & Suter, T. A. (2003). Color and shopping intentions: The intervening effect of price fairness and perceived affect. Journal of Business Research, 56(7), 541–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0148-2963(01)00246-6

Elliot, A. J. (2015). Color and psychological functioning: A review of theoretical and empirical work. Frontiers in Psychology, 6(368). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368

Jonauskaite, D., Abu-Akel, A., Dael, N., Oberfeld, D., Abdel-Khalek, A. M., Al-Rasheed, A. S., Antonietti, J.-P., Bogushevskaya, V., Chamseddine, A., Chkonia, E., Corona, V., Fonseca-Pedrero, E., Griber, Y. A., Grimshaw, G., Hasan, A. A., Havelka, J., Hirnstein, M., Karlsson, B. S. A., Laurent, E., & Lindeman, M. (2020). Universal patterns in color-emotion associations are further shaped by linguistic and geographic proximity. Psychological Science, 31(10), 1245–1260. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620948810

Kawai, C., Zhang, Y., Lukács, G., Chu, W., Zheng, C., Gao, C., Gozli, D., Wang, Y., & Ansorge, U. (2022). The good, the bad, and the red: implicit color-valence associations across cultures. Psychological Research, 87(3), 704–724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-022-01697-5

Withrow, R. (2004). The use of color in art therapy. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 43(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-490x.2004.tb00040.x