7. My favourite stress reliever!
A form of stress relief I have loved since I was a child is hobbies.
I have gravitated towards crafting and drawing to calm my busy mind time and again. Obviously I didn’t realise the calming nature craft had on me when I was a child or even well in to my 20’s. But in the last decade I know how unbalanced I feel when I don’t have a hobby to turn to.
Neuroscientist Nicole Vignola, explains brilliantly in this reel why hobbies are so valuable for reducing stress. She says that hobbies allow us to close the ‘stress cycle’ after a day at work or from other stressful situations. When we come home and continuing to ruminate and worry we signal to the body it is still in the stressful situation.
But hobbies allow us to close the stress cycle and lower stress hormones, which means the decision making and problem solving part of the brain can work effectively again!
At the moment my hobbies include making old school friendship bracelets from embroidery threads, drawing and writing poems that pretty much no one will ever read! And since I got my kindle, reading has become a constant in my wind-down routine.
I love my solo hobbies, but have also found great joy in spending time with others while crafting!
My best friend and I bonded deeply at the start of our friendship over her boxes of beads and my boxes of fabric at our crafternoon Sundays. I have filled my cup at pottery classes where I made shitty dishes and a few great cups, but it didn’t matter because the making got me out of my head, into the moment and connected to new people. And my sisters and I can quite happily sit for hours working on our projects chatting away.
My mum goes to ‘Arty Gals’ every six weeks with a group of friends. They share a meal and create. This is my biggest goal for my retirement years!
One tip I have is: try to avoid the itch of making every hobby into a new business venture… something doesn’t have to make money to be worthwhile doing!
If you don’t currently have any projects on the go, I hope this inspires you to reconnect with old hobbies or start new ones, all in the name of good mental health!
Please know that my inbox and DMs are always open for chats about these blogs or if you have questions about mindfulness or meditation reach out!
Libby x
A Beautiful Mess
If you're looking for crafting inspo, this is the blog for you! Elsie and Emma have be blogging for years and years and have hundreds of ideas and tutorials!Rewire by Nicole Vignola
This book is amazing and a must read if you are trying to form new habits, but things just aren’t sticking. Nicole’s instagram is also an excellent resource for all things neuroscience.How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
I have listened to this podcast for years because peoples stories and perceptions of failure is so fascinating. Elizabeth is a beautiful interviewer and her guests are pretty amazing!