In modern life it can be difficult to switch off, with everything around us constantly racing and our phones making us contactable at all times. It’s important to take time to switch off to protect your mental health, boosting your brain power in the process. Read below to learn more about hobbies to best help you achieve this.
Walking
Walking is good for both the body and the mind, with the steady rhythm of your footsteps being comparable to the gentle rocking of a baby’s cradle. The repetitive movement of your feet and improved blood circulation provide a calming, grounding effect that helps to ease stresses and reconnect you with the world.
Walking outside is even more beneficial, with the sights and smells of the outdoors lifting your mood.
Drawing and painting
Art has long since been used as an activity to encourage mindfulness and good mental health, allowing the mind to relax and be engulfed by the activity at hand. It allows you to reconnect with your environment if you’re drawing something that’s around you.
The Mental Health Foundation links the positive mental health benefits of art to the ability to express yourself without words, which improves mood and well-being.
Crafting
Making things with your hands involves a great deal of concentration and focus, allowing you to block out the world around you. Now that the stress of materials shopping is resolved by the creation of readymade kits in everything from knitting to a macrame kit such as those seen at https://www.woolcouturecompany.com, this is a hobby that allows you to switch off and focus only on the task at hand.
Reading
Reading is magical in allowing you to escape your reality and fall deep into the pages of a book. Whether you enjoy fantasy worlds or prefer reading about other people’s lives, and everything in between, clearing your mind to focus only on what’s within the pages is an excellent exercise in mindfulness and has been shown to improve your mental health.
