If your idea of relaxing is lying in front of the TV with your phone, maybe it’s time to take up a hobby. While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying screen time, research shows that hobbies are essential for good mental and physical health. A 2023 study of more than 93,000 people published in Nature Medicine suggests that people with hobbies report being happier, healthier, and have fewer signs of depression than those without hobbies.
That’s because hobbies are a respite from everyday stress, according to Christin Frederick, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and founder of the Healing Fields Foundation, a mental health training organization. “Hobbies offer us the opportunity to experience ourselves outside of the demands, expectations and responsibilities of daily life,” she says. “They can create conditions for emotional regulation, self-expression, connection, and a sense of personal agency.”
Need ideas to get started? Below are some hobbies that can promote creativity and emotional regulation.
Gardening
“What makes a hobby restorative isn’t necessarily the activity itself, it’s the conditions that emerge as we participate in it,” says Frederick. “A person who gardens can experience sensory engagement with the land, a relief from performance expectations, a sense of accomplishment, and a connection with the natural world.” And it’s these experiences that help regulate your nervous system.
Logging
Not only is jotting down thoughts a hobby, but it’s also considered creative, says Wildaliz Caro, PhD, medical associate at Aura Recovery Center, located in Scottsville, Kentucky. “Reflective journaling or memoir writing can spark deliberate, emotional creativity by intentionally transforming feelings into language,” she says.
Paint
Creating art can be a great stress-relieving hobby, according to Lesley Roy, LICSW, clinical director at LifeStance Health, a national provider of outpatient mental health care. “I generally recommend hobbies that are unrelated to current stressors and will provide a sense of satisfaction or creative expression, such as painting,” she says. Try free-form painting, meaning you have no plan for what you want to create, to encourage spontaneous creativity, suggests Frederick. “It can invite emotional expression without requiring a predetermined outcome.”
Cooking
For people who don’t work in creative fields, Caro recommends trying a low-stakes hobby that allows for experimentation, like cooking with ingredients you already have. “It rewards experimentation and revision, which can reinforce flexible thinking without requiring careful outcomes,” she explains.
Knit or crochet
If you have issues with mindfulness, repetitive activities can help you stay focused, says Frederick. “They provide predictable sequences, tactile feedback, and focused attention.”
Make music
You don’t have to be naturally gifted to sing! And singing helps stimulate breathing and promotes rhythm and emotional expression, says Frederick. According to Roy, even creating a playlist of your favorite music to listen to while working out or relaxing counts as a hobby. “It requires creativity because the outcome is a reflection of the effort and approach,” she says.
Dancing
If you spend your days at your desk, dancing is a good way to unwind after work. “Someone who spends their workday making analytical decisions might discover a different capacity for expression through dance,” says Frederick. “It integrates movement, emotional expression, rhythm and play.”
Recreational sports
Hobbies that lend themselves to group activities, like playing kickball, can be particularly helpful because they provide opportunities for belonging and co-regulation, according to Frederick. But it’s important to know yourself because some people might find the competition stressful. “Competitive sport can feel invigorating and restorative for one person while creating considerable stress for another,” she says.
Riddles
Although they’re not always relaxing, logic puzzles (and even coding) can be a great way to unwind, says Caro. “These projects can exercise deliberate cognitive creativity through planned problem solving.”
Nature walks or cycling
You never know what you might see on your hike or bike ride, which can really foster creativity. “Activities that allow attention to move more freely can create opportunities for unexpected associations, ideas, or solutions,” says Frederick.
Gn Health
