Mental Health

Let’s talk a bit about hobbies and doing something creative. There are so many ways hobbies improve mental health. Hobbies and other creative activities help to bring balance to your life, ease mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Plus, they help you to reduce stress and relax more. Hobbies help to bring balance to your life, and are the perfect  counterpoint to what you do at work and in your day-to-day life at home.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how monotonous things can get at work and at home. There’s never ending chores and responsibilities to get through every week. It can suck the life out of you if you aren’t mindful. Then there’s the periods of high pressure and stress in between.

We need something else in our life that balances all that stress out. Unfortunately for many people the TV or tablet has taken over. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with an occasional night of TV or Netflix, it shouldn’t be your main thing. Try to find some healthy, hands on hobbies instead of mindless screen time.

Having a hobby or doing something creative is the ideal way to do this. Do you have a hobby right now? If so, now is a good time to make sure you set aside some time for it each week. When we get busy with “have to do’s” it’s easy to get out of balance and let the fun and relaxing stuff slide. Our hobbies and pastimes are often the first thing to go.

Healthy Hobby Ideas

Coloring Books. Adult coloring books are everywhere. People have rediscovered their long lost love for art, got in tune with their inner creativity and embraced a new passion.

Cooking. If you’re a person who loves to tinker in the kitchen, cooking and baking can be a wonderful hands on activity to get lost in.

Journaling is one of the best stress relieving activities that you can do. Make it fun and creative by using different pens, stickers and rubber stamps if you like.

Gardening brings many people peace. There’s nothing like getting out in nature and creating a beautiful space away from the world to help you detach from life’s stress and craziness.

Calligraphy and hand lettering. Good old fashioned paper and pen can be incredibly healing.  It’s a great way to fill up your offline days and get away from technology.

Finding a Hobby That’s Right For You

If you don’t have any hobbies at all right now and your time and energy is completely absorbed by work and family, it’s time to regroup. Start by thinking about the things you used to enjoy when you were younger..like before your kids were born. Reflect on the kinds of things you liked to do when you were a kid.

Does anything that you used to do spark your interest?If it does, make the time time to rekindle your love for your long lost hobby. Maybe you used to love painting with watercolors, or you enjoyed scrapbooking or mixed media. It doesn’t matter what it was. Just get out your old supplies if you still have some, buy a few new ones and see if you still like it as much.

But if you find that you don’t enjoy your old hobbies anymore, don’t stress about it. You’ve grown as a person over the past few years and your interests may have changed. Don’t be afraid to look into something new. Browse your local craft and home improvement stores for creative inspiration. See what classes are available in your community.

Ask your friends what they’re doing. Try anything that seems interesting and see what holds your attention. It may take a little trial and error, but I’m sure you’ll find at least one past time that’s perfect for you.

Mental Health Benefits of Hobbies

Hobbies will provide you with the creative outlet and relaxation that you need to balance out your busy life. It will take some intentional effort at first, but it will soon become part of your life and you wouldn’t want to miss your creative time.

When you find it, let me know what you decided to do. I always love to hear what others find relaxing and inspiring!

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Here’s a lesson that I’ve learned the hard way over the years. And I don’t want you to have to do the same! Listen to your body.

As a special needs mom, I got used to burning the candle at both ends. I didn’t know how to manage the stress of special needs parenting, my sobriety and practice self care.

I’m not a doctor, but I believe the years of cumulative stress played a big role in the development of the two major conditions I live with – cervical dystonia and ulcerative colitis (an autoimmune condition.)

Learning to Listen to Your Body

Your body will tell you when you need to slow down and when you need to stop everything and take a well deserved rest. Pushing past that point may work for a little while, but the longer you ignore these alarm signals from your body, the louder it will scream at you to slow down and just do nothing.

It’s so important to listen to your body when it needs a break from parenting, life, work or even workouts. Stress will take its toll and by the time you notice the signs from your body that I’m going to share with you,  you’re no longer functioning at your best.

Everything you do will continue to take you more time and with more brain fog.  Slowing down and taking a break isn’t a waste of time. You’ll come back focused, refreshed and able to do much better work in a shorter amount of time.

Listen to Your Body’s Signals

Let’s take a good look at some of the signals your body might be sending you to let you know that it’s time to slow down or take a good rest. These are all signals that you’re getting exhausted. Listen to them and get some rest.

Depending on the situation, either active or passive relaxation may work. At other times, you’ve just got to admit defeat and go to sleep for a good 12 hours to catch up.

Brain Fog. One of the first signs of exhaustion is brain fog. You’re forgetting things, overwhelmed and irritable. Everyday tasks take longer than usual. It’s time to listen to your body and slow down.

Increasing irritability and mood swings. When you find yourself getting irritable and snapping at others no good reason, it’s a good sign that you’re stressed out. Mood swings are a powerful sign from your body that it’s time to slow down.

Extreme afternoon slump. Everyone gets a little tired in the afternoon. It’s the main reason many of us reach for coffee or a snack from 2pm to 4pm. On a bad day, you can barely keep your eyes open, or even have to lay down for nap to make it through the rest of the day. If this is happening to you frequently, take it as a signal that you need to slow down and rest more.

Junk food cravings. When you find yourself randomly picking on sugary snacks or other processed foods throughout the day, it’s another sign that you’re exhausted. What you’re trying to do is to compensate for your fatigue with sugar and salt…which can actually be a form of chemical dependency.

Getting Sick Frequently. Now your body is calling for help. When you’re constantly struggling with frequent colds and infections, then some serious changes are in order. Reduce your workload, find some help and let the non-essential things go!

Restorative rest is an essential part of self care, and never something that you have to feel guilty about.

It’s not unusual to feel anxious at times, when there’s a legitimate threat to you or a loved one’s safety or welfare. But if anxiety has become a constant presence in your life, it’s a great idea to learn some techniques to learn how to relax and enjoy life more.

How Can I Relax My Mind?

For many people, relaxation means zoning out in front of the TV with a beer at the end of a long day. But this really doesn’t help in the long term to reduce the damaging effects of stress.

Here’s some intentional relaxation tips to help you get started on living a normal life even if you have anxiety issues.

There are many different ways to relax. They typically fit into one of two categories – active or passive relaxation.

Let’s take  a closer look at each method, go over some examples and then wrap it up with a simple conclusion about why we all need a good mix of both forms of relaxation.

Active vs. Passive Relaxation

The easiest way to define active vs. passive relaxation is with an simple example. Let’s start with the obvious…sleeping which is a form of passive relaxation. On the other hand, an activity such as going fishing would be a type of active relaxation.

Most types of relaxation techniques. fit somewhere between these two extremes. For instance, meditation is generally passive but the mind is still somewhat active. Reading a book or watching a movie is another good example. These are more passive activities than going for a walk, hike, or run.

Ideas For Active Relaxation

Most forms of exercise fall into the active relaxation category. Go out for a walk or hike and enjoy nature is one great way to actively relax. Taking an exercise class or going for a run is another great option. And these types of activities are often more fun when you do them with others.

You might want to get the whole family involved by going for bike rides together, taking them swimming, or spending a fun day playing and running around in the park or yard.

I’m a big fan of yoga  a form of active relaxation. Not only does it tone your body and help to increase flexibility, but it also helps to calm the mind and spirit.

Ideas For Passive Relaxation

Make some time to lay down for a nap in the afternoon to relax and recharge. You can also just sit or lay down for 30 minutes to practice some guided meditation.

Many people love to curl up with a good book at the end of the day to unwind and de-stress.

Meeting a friend for coffee, or just inviting them over is a great way to relax. If that’s not possible, get comfortable and call them for a long, relaxing chat. This is something that tends to get lost in our digital age. There’s nothing like a good old fashioned phone call!

Even something as simple as pouring yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and enjoying it while you browse through a magazine is a good option.

I think you’ve got the ideas! Brainstorm three to five ways to  relax passively that sound like they might work for you. These can be things you’re already doing, or something you’ve always wanted to make time for.

Then come up with some ideas for active relaxation. Keep your list where you can easily refer to it, and then make an intention to do try activities from both lists on a regular basis.

More Ways to Relax Your Mind From Stress

Try to avoid multitasking. While we think we’re being more productive, multitasking can stress us out even more. Try to do one thing at a time and really focus on it.

Note your mood, then choose your activity. If you’ve had an awful day at work, listening to head banging music is probably going to ramp you up even further. And you probably won’t be able to focus on a book. Try going for a slow walk outside to clear your head.

Do what’s relaxing to you. This can mean different things to different people. Many people like to unwind by doing something with their hands. This doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, I love to use stickers in my journals and planners. It’s fun and doesn’t require too much brain activity.

It’s pretty important to keep mixing things up. We need to work in more physical activity and get out there, but also need time to relax our body.

Remember, it’s all about balance. Practicing both active and passive relaxation techniques on a daily basis will help to reduce anxiety and handle stress in a much calmer way.

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