Mental Health-Care at Home: Hobbies Proven to
Help You Feel Better About Yourself
Mental health is a hot topic, the one subject everyone is talking about. Even then, many self-diagnose tips are of no help if you don’t get to an appointment with the professional. Moreover, mental health is a state of being which, like our physical bodies, needs some practice, or, as we also love to call it nowadays, #self-care time. But it isn’t always about a warm bath, a mask, and the n-th time of ‘Friends’ – you need something with a longer commitment. Although spa evening is always a good option, maybe try getting a hobby – an activity which boosts your mood in no time with a lasting effect.
Connect – volunteer
To say it simply, humans are community beings, dependant on communication with other individuals. Do you know those people that just happen to be there when we need them? It can be something as simple as a nice word or proper support on an issue. Anyhow, volunteer at a local school, hospital, or community group can spread your connection group to people with similar interests or at least a set of values regarding the greater cause. Maybe you want to clean your local beach, get more trees around your neighbourhood, or simply talk to other people who need a friendly reminder for the day? Being there for others will build your emotional strength and give you emotional support in return.
Craft
We’ve all spent most of our time at home, and at least once thought about changing wall colours, getting a new art piece for the living room, and those pretty quotes for the home office to keep you going until the end of the shift. You don't need to have a fancy tool (although you just might get one when you get hooked) as there are many easy DIY crafts you can do with everyday things. Making a paper flower, colouring an old jewellery box, or making a blanket by hand-knitting – a hobby needs to keep you interested and not bored. You can find a lot of hobbies kits like model boat from Free Time Hobbies.
Gardening
The colour green is guaranteed to help you relieve emotional stress, according to psychologists. The human race evolved in nature, not between the monotone buildings. Therefore, picking up gardening as a hobby is completely natural, right? Although plants are a beautiful addition to any space, there is a special thrill in eating the food you have grown yourself. Having not a lot of space or renting a home, you should think about hydroponic farming. On top of being an urban gardener, you can also learn about modern technology, chemistry, and sustainability, as its perfect aspect is not using the soil and seeing every stage of the plant growth with no risk of insect infestation.
Yoga & exercise
Keeping your mind in check is not an easy task, and distractions are easy to choose from instead of facing your issues, whatever their nature is. That is not a way of coping that will bring you to benefit in the long run. How about distracting yourself by giving yourself even more care and positive attention? Exercise will not only help you keep your body fit, but it will also further improve your mental health by releasing stress kept in clenched jaws and tight muscles. Holding on to negative emotions directly affects our bodies, keeping it in our fat, or, to be precise, emotional weight puts a significant weight on our bodies. By moving and letting the energy flow through your body, the burnt energy will in turn leave peace in your mind. Taking it one step further, yoga is a known ancient practice of mind, body, and soul likewise, completely transforming you into your better version when done consistently. Don't give up on yourself.
Photography, painting, journaling
You might think these require a special skill or talent, which you need to be born with, but that couldn't be far from the truth. Some of the creators just started doing it for fun. Some of them have been writing blogs for their families or have spoken about their lives to their friends, and their stories became popular. What is the secret? They were doing it for their own stress relief. Painting your wall in some shapes to make your boring furniture stand out can make a huge difference in the room. Or a documented growth on your mobile phone of those plants can make an interesting video. Show yourself to yourself and let someone see it.
When it comes to mental health improvement, the most important tip is: start today. Do not wait on anything – take that photo, play the song you heard in the store and you are still humming, or check out the local shelter to walk the puppies. Don’t sleep on yourself, you deserve to enjoy every day.
Author bio:
Alison Pearson is an interior design student. She is a writer and designer, and her ultimate passion is art and architecture. She is also a bibliophile and her favourite book is "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner. Follow her on Twitter.