Let’s talk about how to reduce stress for a minute. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that my hobbies have at multiple times saved my well-being and reduced my stress levels. Setting aside time to work on something that you are passionate about is extremely important. This has been something very important to me throughout stressful times in my life, and it’s really helped keep me centered and sane in times where I needed it the most. Whether it’s going to the gym or learning a musical instrument, it can have many healing properties mentally and physically. Let’s take a look at some of the many benefits of finding hobbies outside of work.
How to Reduce Stress with Hobbies
Hobbies can be very stress reducing for your well-being, especially when you have chosen the right thing for you. It’s super important that you find a hobby that resonates with you in a big way and is something you can make time for. Benefits can obviously vary based on the things you choose, but here are some of the many.
- There have been numerous studies done to prove that hobbies help with Stress reduction. In particular, gardening, learning a musical instrument, painting, or going to the gym have all been proven to reduce cortisol levels.
- Hobbies such as meditation or reading help with overall relaxation and improved sleep. These sorts of activities help prepare your mind and body for a good rest.
- Your mood can be greatly improved by a hobby you greatly enjoy. When you do something, you love to do it tends to release large amounts of endorphins which leads to mood enhancement.
- A lot of the time, you really have to focus on the tasks you choose to take up as hobbies. This can lead to greater mindfulness over all, as well as a positive distraction against negative thought patterns and feelings.
- There are a lot of hobbies you can do with people you care about, or by yourself. Depending on your personality, either will suit you, but there are great benefits to both. When you set aside time for a personal project to complete on your own you are really setting aside time for yourself to engage in a form of self-care. When you engage in projects or hobbies with other people, you get to create more of a connection socially and build new or strengthen old relationships. The shared benefit of both of these things is that you get a great sense of accomplishment when you complete a task.
- When you regularly engage in a hobby, it can greatly reduce your chance of burnout involving your daily work tasks by providing you a way to unwind and detach from your work life.
- On top of all of these great hobby side effects, you are also given a tool to cope with any type of hardship that may come your way. Work or home life will be infinitely better when you can spend some time working on a hobby.
Types of Hobbies for reducing stress
There are all sorts of hobbies out there. So much so that many people have multiple to keep them busy in their down time. As I said earlier, it’s important to really do the research and choose at least one that resonates with you more than most things. Try things you’ve never done before by signing up for classes or by looking up how people get started. Below you will find a list of potential hobbies to choose from, but this is a very limited selection. There will be more out there, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t find something you think you’ll really connect with! Happy hobby hunting!
- Photography is a great way to capture beautiful moments or scenes and it gives you an excuse to be present and observe all that’s around you.
- Yoga and meditation are excellent for practicing mindfulness as well as relaxation, and can reduce stress greatly.
- Reading is a great way to escape to another world, especially if it’s a series of books that takes a lot of time to cover the writing. A great distraction from most external stressors.
- Learning a musical instrument is also an incredibly rewarding hobby. There are many instruments to choose from, and there are many things you can learn to play; your favorite songs, or even write someone else’s next favorite.
- Exercise has many benefits aside from being a hobby. You can accomplish many things at once whilst exercising including but not limited to; getting stronger, losing excess body fat, feeling better physically, and reducing chances of injury and health risks.
- Volunteering can be another extremely rewarding hobby. There are many ways to volunteer to help those in need, and it can provide a large sense of accomplishment alongside the added benefit of connecting socially with different groups of people.
- Puzzles and brain teasers were always a favorite for my mother. She would spend hours every night focusing on these little projects and it kept her relaxed and feeling good!
There you have it. I hope I’ve been able to provide for you a couple of ideas on how to reduce stress. Check out more health and safety tips here.
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