There’s no denying that current times are stressful around the globe. From a looming pandemic calling for us to stay safely at home to new regulations of society under lockdown, it is practically inevitable to feel some sort of associated stress. However, now is the perfect time to find ways to help shape our new normal and start taking steps to eliminate as much stress as we can from daily life.
Embracing creative outlets is a rather simple solution to a challenging problem that anyone at any age can choose to do. Now let your creative mind help to lead the way to reduced stress, increased happiness and sense of purpose.
Learn a New Skill
After being home for what feels like months on end, motivation to use our free time proactively can be hard to find. However, spending countless hours scrolling on your phone or binge-watching television shows will only continue to let stress build with each passing day.
Instead of wasting free time on mindless entertainment, use extra hours in the day to learn a new skill or craft. A perfect choice for a new hobby is one that reduces stress and promotes relaxation, like knitting. Fuel motivation with creation by knitting to improve your fine motor skills and sharpen your cognitive ability.
The health benefits of acquiring a new skill like knitting are only enhanced by feelings of incentive and accomplishment with each project you try. Afterall, the time spent making your own masterpiece from Bernat blanket yarn will feel much more fulfilling than finishing every episode of a new series.
In addition to knitting, there are plenty of other skills and crafts to learn, such as:
- Photography
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Sewing
- Carpentry
Taking control of how we spend our free time by using creative outlets will no doubt replace feelings of stress with feelings of achievement and encouragement to keep moving forward.
Express Yourself Through Writing
The perfect way to get anything and everything off your chest while boosting brain activity in the process. Whether you choose pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, it doesn’t matter what you write as long as you’re expressing yourself. Enjoy a creative work out for your brain as stress melts away with any of these writing exercises:
- Poems or haikus
- Blog posts
- Daily diary entries
- Journal 3 good things every day
- Handwrite letters (that never need to be shared)
- Short or long creative stories
Stress won’t stand a chance when you get in the habit of unloading through written expression.
Stimulate Your Mind with Games
Push stressful thoughts out of your mind by replacing them with an intellectual workout instead. Games are a simple way to stimulate your mind by using a creative outlet. Stop stress from occupying your free time by focusing on a game, such as:
- Trivia
- Chess
- Sudoku
- Scrabble
Now it’s time to overcome the stressful obstacles in our everyday life by starting to realize the impact that results from how we choose to use our time each day. So long stress, hello creative outlets!