In this loud, fast and restless world, we all need some kind of outlet to survive. Something to help us slow down and allow us to enjoy whatever we are doing, instead of simply going through the motions. And while there are many things that can help you cope with stress, for many people, the best way to relax and unwind is to find an activity that can help them quiet their minds.
A hobby can be any activity you like and anything that feels relaxing – playing video or board games with friends, working out or doing sports, doing yoga, meditation, woodworking, painting, etc. However, there are many reasons why you should choose a pastime that will keep your hands busy but won’t feel like too much work. This is great for people who like to feel useful, for people who can’t stand still, for people who like seeing results from their work, and so on. Moreover, hobbies that can be easily mastered and give you something to show for your effort feel more satisfying, which makes them easier to stick to.
Knitting
There are many reasons why our minds feel at ease when we use a knitting hook or a knitting needleand yarn to create something that we can use or give to someone. Our minds can easily get overwhelmed with worries and two of the biggest enemies of a calm mind are boredom and idleness. As they say, the devil finds work for idle hands.
While most activities we do can help us fight boredom – whether it’s something we love or something we have to do – knitting comes with some amazing advantages for our wellbeing. While we are knitting, our hands are busy and our mind needs to be focused on the task. In other words, when we knit, we are present in the moment, which means our mind slowly frees itself of the stressful thoughts it’s trapped into.
Knitting has become one of the most popular stress-relieving hobbies around the world. Some do it alone at home while listening to music or watching TV, others like organising get-togethers with other knitters, and so on. But no matter how they choose to do it, many find that it helps them overcome stress, negative emotions, bad habits, etc.
Research has shown that knitting puts us into a meditation-like state, which makes knitting incredibly beneficial for our mental health, as well as our phycological and emotional state. This hobby is not too hard to learn and master – you can find countless tutorials online for anything you want to do, regardless of your skill level, and it is also quite inexpensive. All you need is a few essentials, including quality yarn, knitting needles and crochet hooks, and you can start immediately.
Arts and Crafts
Like knitting, creating art not only takes your mind off things that stress you out but also gives you a tangible result. In a way, this result, or the peace that you create, will feel like a reward for your hard work, which for many can be a great incentive to stick to the activity. Besides, hobbies that incite our creativity and imagination, come with their own set of advantages.
One of the reasons why you should look for art supplies online and immerse yourself in artmaking, whether it’s drawing, sketching painting, sculpturing, colouring, or anything else, is that it gives you new ways to express yourself and let go. To get all the needed supplies, just find a well-stocked art supplies online store and shop from the comfort of your home. Art has been proven to have amazing effects on our minds, and even our bodies, whether we consume it or we create it. All of this is why art is often used in therapies, and why, as a hobby, it has special kinds of healing powers.
Another way in which creating art positively affects us is by stimulating our senses. When you knit, you can feel the tool that you use in your hand and the texture of the yarn under your fingers. This can be very pleasant for many people. The same happens when you hold your art supplies, whether you are painting with your fingers or a brush, sketching or drawing with a pencil, sculpturing, etc. Art, of course, also stimulates your sense of smell, and your vision.
Gardening
If doing arts and crafts isn’t your thing, one very calming hobby you can try is creating a small garden in your home. Whether you buy handmade ceramic pots if you want to try indoor gardening or you simply to tending to indoor plants, or you decide to create a small garden in your yard, this is another hobby that comes with a set of incredible benefits for your overall wellbeing. This hobby is great for anyone, as it doesn’t take a lot of time, it’s easy and satisfying, and not only is it quite inexpensive, but it can even be quite useful.
Studies have shown that both our mind and our body respond very positively when you are getting your hands dirty and touching the soil. Although in a different way than knitting and art-making gardening makes us happy. In fact, contact with soil, and specifically Mycobacterium vaccae, a soil bacteria increase the production of serotonin – one of the so-called happy hormones – in our brains. These hormones not only with mental problems such as depression, anxiety and other stress-related issues, but they are also good for our immune system.
While it may not be exactly similar to handling a knitting hook or a painting brush, planting also affects you by stimulating your sense of touch. Focusing on something you do with your hands helps you stay present and mindful, or keep you grounded. Tending to plants, putting to good use your handmade ceramic pots and touching soil can make a huge difference in your mental health.
Moreover, like with the other two hobbies, gardening comes with tangible results. Whether you use beautiful pots to plant indoor plants to add beauty to your décor, or you plant spices or vegetables in them to use them for cooking, or you have a garden where you can enjoy this hobby, when a plant that you tend thrives, it gives you the satisfying feeling of achieving something both beautiful and useful.