Try One of These 11 Stress-Relieving Hobbies (& Why You Should)

Last updated on November 5th, 2022 at 12:19 am

Life is stressful. We all deal with different levels of anxiety and stress on a regular basis. It’s a part of being human, but sometimes it can get to be too much. It can even go so far as to affect your mood, behavior, and overall health! 

If “stressed” is how you have been describing yourself these days, it may be time to pick up one of these stress-relieving hobbies. Before you say no to the idea of adding yet another thing to your schedule, hear me out. There are actually several benefits to incorporating hobbies into your busy life:

• A hobby could help prevent burnout by providing a much-needed outlet.
• Pursuing a hobby can add some excitement to your life.
• Hobbies are fun! They can make you happy.
• A hobby provides an opportunity to take a break while still feeling productive.
• It can be an excuse to get out and socialize.
• Hobbies could help you wind down and quiet your mind so you can sleep better.

If you have no idea where to start with a hobby, don’t worry about it! I have a healthy list of ideas for your next hobby.

Stress-Relieving Hobbies

Journaling

Whether you tap the keyboard or scribble in a pretty journal, writing can be therapeutic. You could write out your thoughts and feelings or simply the events of the day. Other forms of journaling could be more creative like using calligraphy or writing stories.

Coloring

There’s a reason adult coloring has become so popular these days. It’s so stress relieving! Grab a coloring book and colored pencils or crayons or markers or water colors. If there’s an artist in you, draw your own pictures to color.

Crafting

Anything from knitting (a very popular stress-relieving activity) to building pallet furniture, getting crafty could be just the outlet your life needs.

Reading

Yes, curling up with a good book is on our list of stress-relieving hobbies! While self-help type books are good, something to read simply for the fun of it may be the better medicine.

Dancing

Getting active in itself is great for releasing that stress, but there’s something about dancing that chases stress away. Sign up for a class or simply dance the night away in your own living room.

Gardening

Fresh air works wonders for lifting a mood, but gardening is so much more than that. From the planning of what to plant, to the organizing of the garden layout, to the act of planting, all the way to enjoying the fruits of your labor; gardening has many stress-reducing facets.

Baking

Bake away the stress in the form of the classic cake or a specialty bread. Sharing your baked goods is also rewarding in its own way. Dark chocolate is known for boosting your mood so make sure to have some of that on hand!

Hiking

Studies have shown that getting out in nature has measurable calming effects. Making hiking a hobby will not only reap that calming benefit, but you can explore new places and experience new adventures. [Also read: Best National Park Day Hikes for Beginners]

Running

If you’re the type of person who thinks running should only happen when someone is chasing you, consider stress as that someone chasing you! Check out my 5 Reasons You Should Take Up Running.

Music

Make a playlist of all your favorite songs or venture out and experience new music. Take up the piano again, or sing in the shower. However you incorporate music into your life, it’s a worthy hobby to have!

Playing Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to relieve stress because you have a goal to focus on, but you can still take as much time as you need until you get to the finished product.

Typically. people think of jigsaw puzzles, but some other puzzles to consider are number puzzles like Sudoku or word puzzles like Wordle and crossword puzzles.

Sometimes word puzzles can be difficult, so don’t be afraid to use a tool to help, like Unscrambled Words, which helps solve anagrams and crossword puzzles. After all, this is supposed to be a relaxing pastime, so don’t worry if you need a little help.

If you like jigsaw puzzles, you can even play online, so there’s no need for a large table for working your puzzle and no cleaning up the pieces either. One site, Im-a-puzzle.com, offers thousands of online jigsaw puzzles for free.

A hobby (especially one of these stress-relieving hobbies) could be just the thing your busy life needs to finally find relief and enjoyment again. 

Also read:
Self-Care Checklist Printable (Free)
FREE Kindle eBooks + Read eBooks With the FREE Kindle App
30 Stress-Relief Coloring Books for Adults: The Perfect Way to Unwind

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