4 Hobbies That Relieve Stress And Give You More Energy

Do you feel stressed out lately? Wondering how to effectively channel this energy? Here are some ways to relieve all that bottled up anxiety and stress to make you feel more alive and energized this year so you can be more productive.

4 Hobbies That Relieve Stress And Give You More Energy

1. Playing an Instrument

If you have a keen interest in music and always wanted to play an instrument like a guitar, do it now. You just need to take out 15 minutes per day at most. When you learn a new instrument, the more you learn the more neurons start to develop and connections between existing neurons in your brain become stronger. Playing an instrument can reduce stress and give your brain a workout because you are using audio and visual centers of your brain as well as your frontal cortex to recall shapes from music. When you think about musical chord shapes, you visualize them and increase your ability to think creatively. Apart from reducing your stress, there are many more mental, social and even physical benefits to playing an instrument.

2. Regular exercise

Whether it means hitting the pool or gym, doing yoga or making a commitment to run in the evening or early morning, regular exercise is a great way to release endorphins and dopamine to make you feel good about yourself and reduce anxiety and stress. Depending on how intense your workout is, you can also get the added release of adrenaline that will get your systems energized and ready to take on even more. Yoga can help relax your body so you cope better with stressful situations. When your body is in a relaxed state, undesired circumstances have less of a negative impact on our mind. Can’t find the time to exercise? See what this guy does at home.

3. Chronicling

Ever heard of chronicling? The evidence suggests that you should write down what’s bothering you. Start writing about your experiences and what’s stressing you out. Soon you will start to see a pattern in what has been bothering you. At least you will know what is bothering you and be able to deal with it better. This will lead to a reduction in your stress levels and thus increased productivity in general.

4. Meditation

Meditation is also another great way to reduce stress. When you meditate, you take out time to reflect, take in your surroundings and relax your body and mind. There are different ways to meditate. You can pray if that is what you are into. You also can relax in the park early morning and take in fresh air and the ambient voices of birds and people talking in the distance. You can let yourself drift off and let your worries go away so that you can regain focus after you meditate.

Meditation can help you increase your capacity for relaxation and improve your cardiovascular health because of your focus on breathing. It is also known to reduce your anxiety. Buddha practiced meditation and got in touch with his spiritual side and so can you!