5% of American adults suffer from atleast one emotional issue in one year ie. about 43 million adults.
4.4 Million kids have been diagnosed with anxiety and 1.9 million kids have been diagnosed with depression in USA.
Although these issues may require medical care, one may depend on many scientifically proven hobbies to overcome stress, anxiety and depression.
Even for people not suffering from any emotional issues, hobbies have proven to boost mood, make one happier and healthier.
Binge watching your favorite TV show or browsing social media for hours is not considered hobbie.
Infact binge watching or spending hours on social media has proven to drain energy more and make one more depressed.
Instead lets look at these easy to pick-up hobbies that will help you feel more joyful and make you healthier.
1 .Ikebana:
Ikebana is Japanese art of beautifully arranging flower, stems and leaves.
Ikebana is not just decoration but allows one to see beauty in natural world around.
Art of Ikebana brings self-awareness and balance which eventually helps improve the mood and ambiance of your surroundings.
2.Bird Watching:
Bird Watching helps you get closure to the nature. Which in turn helps build physical, emotional and mental health.
Birding is a hobby that will immediately have positive impact on all your senses.
Hearing their sounds, looking at their colors and watching their subtle behavior will have meditative effect on you.
You may start with getting couple of bird feeder and butterfly feeder for you home or apartment and then venture out further.
3. Forest Bathing:
Eco Therapy, Nature Therapy or Forest Bathing is combination of fitness trend and mindful practice developed in Japan in early 1980s.
Taking in sounds and smell of forest, fresh clean air and sun light help improve one’s mental and physical health.
Studies have found that average american spends 93% of time indoor. Good news is though, event spending few additional minutes outdoors can do wonders for ones moods and health.
4. Journaling:
Journaling helps to organize your thoughts better. Thus it helps to identify what is causing stress and anxiety.
Journaling can help improve the mood and thus bring happiness and positivity in your life.
“Getting To Good” is a wonderful journal for daily use that can make your journey to happiness much simpler.
5.Gardening:
This is one of the hobby that can be done indoor and outdoor. Study has found gardening helps reduce the severity of depression significantly.
Plant a little vegetable or herb garden or maintain some small indoor plants. Volunteer at your community park taking care of vegetation.
Any of these activities will help improve the mood and reduce the anxiety/depression.
6. Art Therapy:
Art and craft helps one express and process the feelings. One can use self directed art or craft to help reduce cortizol levels and in turn level of stress.
Research suggest 45 minutes of creative activity significantly reduces stress and enhances happiness.
7. Cooking:
You may think of cooking as chore, but it can serve as creative outlet.
Cutting/Chopping, Cooking and baking not just reduce the stress, but it can increase mindfulness.
Seeing the final product of your efforts provides satisfaction and enhances confidence and happiness.
8. Yoga/Meditation:
For many years now, Yoga and Meditations are being researched as alternative treatment to help with anxiety and depression.
These are self soothing methods to help reduce impact of anxiety and stress.
9. Playing Musical Instrument:
Research have shown that playing musical instrument reduces stress, anxiety and depression.
Additional benefits of playing musical instruments also include, improved blood pressure and decrease in heart rate.
10.Dancing:
Just like playing musical instrument, dancing also reduces stress, anxiety and depression.
Additional benefits of dancing are improved balance and muscle strength.
Hope you find this list of hobbies useful and are inspired to try atleast one or two hobbies from this list to feel your life with joy.
