Healthy hobbies are a good way to distract yourself from the turmoil of everyday life. Research shows that people with hobbies are less likely to suffer from stress, low mood, and depression. Additionally, including group activities will improve your communication skills and help you build new relationships.
Healthy hobbies to pick up
These five hobby ideas are a good way to start stimulating your mind and practising mindfulness, which will make you feel happier and more relaxed.
Gardening
Gardening is a therapeutic hobby to pick up. It is affordable because all you need is a few seeds to start growing your own vegetables or to make your garden look beautiful with flowers.
Watch insightful documentaries
There are tons of documentaries to discover, and expanding your interest with something you would not naturally gravitate to will open your mind to new ideas and perspectives. An interesting one to watch is the Goop lab with Gwyneth Paltrow on Netflix, which looks at the different scientific experiments of healing trauma, and it gives insightful information on practising self-love by tackling some of the myths about women’s bodies and sexuality.
Writing
Writing is a good way of expressing yourself. You can start with journaling to better understand some of your thoughts and feelings, or you can start a blog to share your experiences and interact with different people around the world.
Meditating
Mediating is a good stress reliever and a way of practising mindfulness. “Research shows we can train our attention and our meta-awareness, and that this is a learnable skill,” says Richard Davidson, PhD, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds.
Reading
Reading is also a powerful hobby that will build your vocabulary and give you more knowledge about different things. You can choose to immerse yourself in a fictional world or get inspired with an autobiography.
