Today we live in a world that is stressful. Negative Stress is constantly pulling at us. We need to do this or have that. Or maybe the thought is there is not enough money or we lost a job. Maybe it's more along the line of the death of a loved one, divorce, or illness. I bet you have experienced one or two of these during Covid 19. It has attacked us all. The whole world is struggling. Due to covid we have lost loved ones that we would not have without Covid and some were young. Job loss and reduction of income are a problem the world over, specifically for lower income households. The CDC did a study and reported that 76.3% of respondents had concerns about financial stability. 69.4% were concerned about getting food. That is just in the US. That is a lot higher than the recent past. Today's world is more stressful than ever before. It doesn’t look like the stress will be reduced anytime soon. Unemployment is at 6.2 percent and will take about 3.5 years to recover. So Stressors are not going to be going down real quickly.
These negative stresses as we talked about in other episodes is hard on our health. It reduces the body's ability to recoup. It causes heart problems and attacks. It throws off blood sugar levels. It can cause headaches, depression, and anxiety. It even increases your risk for things like Alzheimer's disease. Did I get your attention yet?
Let’s go over some stress relieving hobbies. Hobbies that are creative are great for overcoming stress. So things like scrapbooking which combines artistry with journaling; photography, drawing, painting and coloring are all good creative ways to relieve stress.
Next hobbies that can help with stress are gardening, aquariums, or taking care of a fish pond. But sitting and watching fish has the effect of reducing blood pressure and relieving stress. Then there is gardening, which gets you into the sun and fresh air a wonderful thing for someone who is struggling with stress.
Music whether you play or listen it can help to reduce stress levels. It can absorb your attention and release frustration and angst. Learning to play an instrument can be a great reliever of stress for you and those around you.
Now let’s talk about exercise or physical activity. Not only is it good for your health on it’s own but it can improve your mental wellbeing. Find one that you enjoy. Maybe going for a walk, signing up for an exercise class, or using an online exercise workout. There is no downside to getting some exercise.
The great thing about all of these stress relieving hobbies is they increase your wellbeing for longer than you are doing the action. In fact they can continue to produce wellbeing for over 24 hours so you can build them up and increase them by doing them over and over. This can produce an upward spiral effect.
In our next podcast we will be talking about How to Fix ADHD Without Medication.
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