5 Hobbies that Can Help Relieve Stress

Putting together a well rounded, enjoyable, and healthy life these days can be harder than it sounds. Eight full hours of sleep each night, three nutritious meals per day, a career, a social life, even just writing that all out can be exhausting let alone actually doing it each day. Once you put all of those together it can quickly seem like there just aren’t enough hours in each day to do everything you would like. Aside from the aforementioned daily tasks, everyone needs a few special activities to help blow off some steam and relax.

This is where hobbies come in. Everyone has different hobbies, but pretty much everybody has at least one or two of them. Even if you just spend all day sleeping and watching television, technically those are still hobbies! Now, whether or not they are healthy hobbies is an entirely different conversation. That is why many people like to engage in healthy hobbies that stimulate them either mentally or physically. A few examples would be personal fitness or puzzles such as Sudoku.

If you are looking for a new hobby, it might be a great idea to choose one that can help you relieve some stress. As we mentioned before, life moves quickly and sometimes we all forget to take a breath and smell the roses. Finding a stress relieving hobby you enjoy can help you kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by relieving stress and performing an activity you love. Here are 5 hobbies that can help relieve stress.

Surfing

Surfing is a great hobby that is lots of fun once you get the hang of it, and also helps relieve stress. It is no coincidence that surfing is often associated with a laid back, chill culture. Riding waves naturally puts surfers at ease, and helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and stress. Many people who suffer from PTSD are encouraged to try surfing due to its healing properties.

Perhaps it is the sway of the waves, the sun shining down, or the refreshing qualities of going for a swim; whatever it is, surfing almost universally puts people into a better mood. Many surfers opt to rise with the sun and get in an early morning ride to start their day off just right. If you are finding yourself stressed in the mornings, this may be a great new early morning routine for you. Make no mistake, though, you will want to begin with beginner classes before moving onto advanced surfing lessons. Developing surfing skills takes time and practice.

Yoga

Yoga is another physical fitness based hobby that is among the best for stress relief. Yoga is an incredibly powerful stress relieving tool that is becoming more and more popular, across all ages, genders, and demographics, as time goes on. The reason is simple, you will feel great after practicing yoga for a few months.

Many of us don’t realize just how tight and tense we really are, especially in muscle areas such as the hips, thighs, neck, and hamstrings. Yoga allows users to release all of that tension throughout their body and simultaneously relieve stress and feel great physically.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that is over 3,000 years old. It is based on creating a positive flow of energy in your home through organizing it in a harmonious manner. Not only is a home designed with Feng Shui in mind supposed to relieve stress, but the very act of interior decorating and designing can be very stress relieving for many people. You can even take things a step further if you don’t want to stop with just redesigning and move on to something a bit more ambitious like a kitchen or bathroom remodeling. Many people find that old, dilapidated, or messy living

Reading

The act of sitting down and reading a book seems to be more and more rare these days in modern society’s fast paced, social media centric culture. If you haven’t read a book in awhile, it may be a great way to take a break during the day, collect your thoughts, and escape the monotony of everyday worries. Reading helps improve focus and clarity, and sometimes a little but of focus is all it takes to break free of the chains of anxiety or a particularly troubling day.

Hiking

Going for a hike outdoors can be great hobby that provides exercise, challenging and fulfilling obstacles, and stress relief. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and surrounding yourself with nature can be the perfect way to relax for people who miss the great outdoors.