10 hobbies to Transform Anxiety Into Energy

Include these hobbies and habits in your routine to try to alleviate anxiety and channel it for good

This year has not been easy for our mental health. Bad news, wars, have unbalanced the chakras, taken the mind out of place, and made many people even more anxious.

If you are looking for something to channel all the energy and create a new hobby that promotes decompression, this list is special for you. It has 10 new habits that will change your daily life.

1. Keep a Journal or a Zine

• Benefits:
  • Helps clear your mind by putting your thoughts onto paper.
  • Provides a safe space for self-expression and emotional release.
  • Enhances mindfulness and can offer a sense of emotional relief.

Talk to your feelings. Putting everything out in writing – in the case of a journal – can really ease your mind. But, if you don’t connect that much with writing, a zine (which is a self-publishing) can be an ideal outlet: make collages, drawings, doodles or whatever you want.

A meta-analysis revealed that journaling interventions resulted in an average statistically significant 5% reduction in patient scores on mental health measures, with a greater benefit in anxiety (9%) and PTSD (6%) symptom subgroups.

2. Go After a Culinary Project

• Benefits:
  • Cooking can be therapeutic and helps focus the mind on the task at hand.
  • Increases self-sufficiency and boosts self-esteem as you see tangible results.
  • Encourages creativity and provides a sense of accomplishment once the dish is made.

At the beginning of the pandemic, one of the main trends was cooking at home. This is how the term “bread demic” became popular, since many people were baking their own bread. Find something you enjoy eating and make it from scratch. Start in your comfort zone until you get used to cooking.

Research indicates that cooking interventions can improve mood, reduce anxiety, and enhance psychological well-being.

3. Exercise

• Benefits:
  • Releases endorphins, known to reduce stress and boost happiness.
  • Helps reduce anxiety by channeling energy into physical activity.
  • Improves overall health and sleep, creating a positive cycle of well-being.

Move your body! It is scientifically proven that endorphins can bring a feeling of well-being, so you should invest in them. Whether it’s running, working out at home, yoga, pilates, walking… what matters is getting your blood pumping.

Engaging in exercise diverts you from the very thing you are anxious about. Moving your body decreases muscle tension, lowering the body’s contribution to feeling anxious.

4. Take an Online Class or Course

• Benefits:
  • Learning something new boosts your confidence and cognitive skills.
  • Offers a sense of accomplishment as you progress and gain new knowledge.
  • Helps shift focus away from anxious thoughts, allowing for personal growth.

Learning a new language or a new skill can make all the difference at this time. Look for a course – paid or free – that you enjoy. The list is huge! It could be about writing, painting, photography, languages, applications, investments…

Online learning can reduce social anxiety and provide a sense of safety and control over one’s learning environment.

5. Try Crafts

• Benefits:
  • Engaging in crafts helps you stay in the moment, promoting mindfulness.
  • Allows for creativity and hands-on expression, which can reduce stress.
  • Crafting can provide a sense of achievement and fulfillment from making something with your hands.

Weaving techniques are passed down from generation to generation because they carry a lot of teaching. Search deep in your memory for ancestral stories about knitting, crocheting, cutting and sewing and immerse yourself in this universe.

Crafts-based interventions are said to raise self-esteem, improve mood, counteract social isolation, and reduce anxiety and depression.

6. Watch the Birds (and Nature)

• Benefits:
  • Observing nature helps reduce stress and enhances mental clarity.
  • Promotes mindfulness by encouraging you to focus on the present moment.
  • Boosts mood and energy levels by connecting with the natural world.

The small joys of adult life may be closer than we imagine. They can come in the song of a bird, in the color of a flower, in the shape of a leaf. Observe the fauna and flora with enthusiasm. Get binoculars or a magnifying glass to observe all the details, even more closely.

A study published in Scientific Reports found that seeing or hearing birds improved people’s mental well-being for up to eight hours.

7. Schedule Virtual Meetings or Parties

• Benefits:
  • Staying connected with loved ones boosts emotional support and combats loneliness.
  • Provides opportunities for shared experiences and laughter, improving mental health.
  • Regular socializing, even online, can foster a sense of community and belonging.

With the ease of the internet, the time of isolation has been a little less lonely thanks to video apps. Virtual meetings have allowed us to “kill” a little of the longing for those who are far away from us. And why not keep this as a habit for the future? Arrange an online program with your friends that everyone will enjoy and will be happy.

8. Give Therapy Sessions a Chance

• Benefits:
  • Professional therapy provides strategies to cope with anxiety and other emotional challenges.
  • It creates a safe, supportive environment to explore and resolve personal issues.
  • Therapy can improve mental well-being, emotional resilience, and self-awareness.

Scheduling an appointment with a psychologist is always a good idea. Don’t wait until you’re stressed or “on the verge of a breakdown,” but let therapy work as a strategy to avoid problems, rather than solve them. There are several branches of psychology, so you can find the one that best suits you.

9. Clean and Reorganize Your Home (and Donate What You No Longer Use)

• Benefits:
  • Cleaning and decluttering your space creates a calmer, more organized environment.
  • The process of tidying up can be meditative and allows for a sense of control.
  • Donating items can provide emotional relief by letting go of unnecessary possessions.

There’s nothing like a good spring cleaning to freshen up your environment. Cleaning your home can be a distraction, and it also benefits your “future self” – who won’t have to deal with the mess and dirt. Take the time to review what you keep and donate items that you don’t use as much.

10. Support a Cause

• Benefits:
  • Fighting for a cause provides a sense of purpose and meaning, giving you something to focus on.
  • Involvement in a cause creates a sense of community and connection with like-minded people.
  • Acts of giving and advocating can help you feel empowered and positive, reducing feelings of helplessness.

Find a cause that’s meaningful to you and defend it tooth and nail. In the fight for improvement, you can make a new friend (and also some enemies), and have one more reason to get up every day.

Online social support networks can provide individuals with mental disorders a means to seek information, discuss symptoms, share experiences, and learn to cope, reducing feelings of isolation.

Pick one and start today

These hobbies and habits serve as outlets to turn your anxiety into productive energy. They offer not only a way to decompress but also help improve your mental and emotional well-being. Pick the ones that resonate most with you and start integrating them into your life to create a more balanced, fulfilling routine.

Next, you should check out this post with the best minfulness apps that actually work!