
Best Hobbies For People With Anxiety
Life is hard. There are so many things to worry about. Money, work, bills (yep, money again), health, the kids, relationships. The list goes on. We spend so much time living inside our own minds and thinking about all these concerns. But you have to get out of your own head. Here are some of the best hobbies for people with anxiety.
Cooking
This list is really in no particular order, but I put this one first because when it comes to the best hobbies for people with anxiety, it’s my favorite.
Cooking is my happy place. It’s not even really about the end result or how good the food tastes. I just love to cook.
You don’t even have to be good at it to enjoy it! If you are married and have a family, your family will love the gesture, even if your skills aren’t Food Network level. Trust me. I’m no chef, but I can’t even tell you how great it feels to have concocted a meal for the wife and kids after we’ve all had a long day.
The great thing about cooking is you can include your family as well. This is a huge part of why I love it.
When my wife and I first got together, we used to cook together all the time. We loved it. Now that we have kids, we like to involve them as well. And the kids love it too! It’s a great way to spend time together.
My kids even have their favorite meals we make. We have a killer meatloaf that is a huge hit, but the number one is my famous Chicken French. I bet you’ve never heard of it. Here’s a great recipe. Try it!
Listening To Music
Ok, when it comes to the best hobbies for people with anxiety, this one ranks really high for me as well.
I always tell people, I don’t listen to music when I want to hear something. I listen to music when I want to feel something.
Music takes you from where you are, to a place far away. It can take you to a time far away.
It seems like every time I listen to something, it takes me to a happy place. Or reminds me of a happier time.
Currently, I’m on a huge 1960s and Beatles kick. Always brings me up.
What is your go-to playlist?
Spending Time In Nature
This is one of the things I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember. Even when I was a kid. Spending time in nature to help my anxiety before I even knew I had anxiety!
When I was younger, I’d get home from school, fresh off a long day of interacting with people, other kids, teachers, just exhausted.
I was lucky enough to live in a fairly rural area, and we had some woods behind our house. One of my happy place was to just go and walk down the path back there for hours by myself. Just having zen time. Just me and nature.
Taking a walk back there was like escaping realty. The real world didn’t exist. I looked forward to that all day.
Nowadays, my family and I are lucky enough to live near a beautiful park. (It was actually designed by the same guy who designed Central Park in New York City). When we, as a family, want some relaxing time and to escape our reality, we take a walk in our park. It’s wonderful to be out in nature together; no devices, no screens. Just me, the wife, and our two daughters.
Walking, talking, exploring.
If you have anxiety, find some nature.
Journaling/Writing
Honestly, I started this blog as an outlet for my anxiety. I had to get my thoughts out there. It’s therapy to talk to someone, even if it’s random people on the internet.
Seriously, though. Think about that. When you have anxiety, you are getting crushed by thoughts inside your own head.
Whether or not you blog, write a novel, or just put your thoughts in a diary, it’s extremely therapeutic to let the thoughts flow out of your head and onto the page. It’s just like talking to a therapist without having to actually talk to someone or pay a copay.
The benefit of having an online blog is you can get your thoughts out there to a bunch of actual humans without having to actually see them face to face! An introvert’s dream!
Exercise
Ok, hear me out. I tend to be a fairly lazy person. I love my couch and my TV. But, I have never felt better than when I was running. I recently acquired a treadmill and set it up in the bedroom. I get on that thing and just run for a half hour to forty-five minutes per day, around 5 days per week.
I’ve never felt better.
When combining this activity with listening to music, it creates this perfect storm of endorphins that powers me through. I work up a sweat, get some heathy exercise and it legitimately gets my mind into the coveted happy place.
Part of why exercise is so powerful, in addition to being healthy, is that it’s an activity you can do by yourself. Away from people.
I love to use exercise as an “excuse” for alone time! Sometimes you need to just be by yourself. There is no better escape than to be able to be alone, listen to music, and do something that’s good for your health.
Art
Ok, I am one of the least artistic people I know. I don’t even like drawing.
But this is one of the best hobbies for people with anxiety.
One way I’ve embraced art in recent years, is joining with my kids and doing art with them! Whether it’s craft time (mom is really good at coming up with crafts) or just simply coloring in a coloring book, we have a great time doing art together.
Art is most definitely subjective. And that’s the beauty of it! You can make art in any number of ways. It used to actually stress me out even more, because I was so bad at it. But since having kids, it’s actually become extremely fun.
I’ve found that I’ve gotten more creative and imaginative doing these activities with my kids. The bonus, in addition to relieving anxiety, is that it’s a great bonding activity with the kids.
In Conclusion
The bottom line: relieving your anxiety is right in front of you. There are countless hobbies for people with anxiety. So many things can help you alleviate your anxiety.
I’ve only listed a few here, which are my favorites that I practice regularly.
Find your joy. Don’t let anxiety win. If you’re a dad (or parent in general), look to your kids! Don’t put your problems on to them. They deserve a happy parent. They deserve to have happy memories.
Take care of yourself not just for yourself not just for yourself, but for your family.
Include your kids and your family in all that makes you happy and relieves your stress and anxiety. Support each other.
Sadly, anxiety is a tough beast. When you’re a parent and a spouse, you don’t have time to let anxiety run your life. Get in the right mindset and let your anxiety know that it doesn’t own you.
What are some of your ideas for what are the best hobbies for people with anxiety?