The Healing Power of Creative Hobbies
While life can sometimes make it difficult to fully unwind, creative pursuits offer some of the best ways to calm the mind and soul. Whether it’s painting, knitting, or throwing pottery, tasks like these help to clear the mind and shift focus away from daily concerns. They allow us to focus and concentrate in a calming and peaceful way. Plus, the feeling of having created something beautiful will only add to the sense of satisfaction as your hobby helps you to unwind and de-stress. Your heart rate will lower and your levels of cortisol will decrease when you are involved in your craft.
The very act of making something with your hands, puts us back in touch with our ancestors who relied on these activities for comfort in the absence of formal therapy. It is an opportunity to have a conversation with our inner selves, without necessarily putting our feelings into words. Regularly, I hear patients say, ‘I hadn’t thought of that before’ as they describe the thoughts and feelings that have bubbled to the surface as they concentrated on blending one colour into another. The opportunity to do this on a regular basis, helps people to develop a better sense of how to cope with life’s ups and downs, from a calmer more considered place. So often, it’s the simple things in life that are the most helpful.
On top of all these individual rewards, a creative hobby also brings you closer to yourself, allowing you to develop new interests and passions you may have forgotten about as you were focusing on being productive. Whether it’s doodling, drawing, making flower arrangements, or any other hobby, curiosity is nurtured which in turn generates a chain reaction of insights into your preferences and capabilities. In most cases, this naturally radiates to other areas of your life by giving you confidence and inspiration. As you are getting better at your hobby and having fun while you’re doing it, you stop being afraid of not doing it right and instead have fun trying. They lead you to your true selves without external validation and pushy motivation.
This is why I find that making crafting a daily habit can enhance its healing qualities. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes a day, you are creating a time and a space to switch off from the world and focus on your craft. The more regularly you practice this, the more easily you can get into a meditative state, where time flies by and your concerns feel minimized. And the more regularly you maintain a daily practice, the more you will notice the difference in your mental wellbeing over time. It’s not just about avoiding and managing burnout, but about crafting as a form of burnout prevention in our increasingly productive culture.
Lastly, the bonus of creative pursuits is they spread through community and social media with one person’s journey sparking the interest of another. These activities can be social, whether that be through groups online or meetups in your area, and many times are more fun with others. They also foster an environment of helpfulness with suggestions and encouragement along the way as people share the positive impact these activities have had on their lives. These practices are so accessible, requiring just a mindset and initial investment, that their transformation should be felt far and wide by all.
