Tuesday, February 20, 2018

How Creativity and Hobbies Make a Healthier You

This post was updated in 2022.

"Health" trends and crazes today seem to focus on things like clean eating, keto, and paleo, or kettlebells, marathons, and spin class.  Health goes beyond the physical, however, and it's easy to overlook the health and wellness of the heart and soul.  Today we'll look at two ways to improve your health--hobbies and creativity--and a great way to incorporate both in a meaningful, lasting way.


CREATIVITY
You've probably been hit with a sickness during a stressful time.  According to {Dr. Chris Gilbert}, this is--as you may have already guessed--no coincidence.  She says a full 80% of visits to a primary care physician can be traced to emotional issues.  Aside from stress, this is due in large part to keeping emotions contained instead of expressing them or cognitively working through them (which, by the way, I'm the queen of).

Dr. Gilbert takes emotional expression even further!  She says, "When internal emotions are externalized as art, ... inner conflicts that suppressed these emotions are lessened, and physiological stress responses —such as chronic over-secretion of cortisol and adrenaline — are greatly reduced.” 

Think about that!  Creativity contributes to health and well-being in very real ways.  You can find a great list of ways to creatively express your emotions at BayArt's lovely article, {"How Creativity Can Help You Be Healthier."}


HOBBIES
My friend Lori at Choosing Wisdom wrote recently about why {picking up new hobbies} is so good for you.  She explained that there are two kinds of stress:  bad stress (we all know what that is) and good stress called eustress which is the rush of excitement and joy when we're engaged in something new.  

As Lori says, "Hobbies provide a break with a purpose.  ...When we get complacent in our routines, we are neglecting to challenge our brains."  She refers to research on the mental benefits of having hobbies, including lower depression, and the physical benefits, including lower blood pressure and cortisol.  So hobbies help with the bad stress, and with the good stress, too!


TWO-FOR-ONE:  A CREATIVE HOBBY
Many people have the mistaken belief that they are not creative.  In reality, though, {trying something new stimulates the brain}, so creativity is increased!  And literally, by definition, if you create something, you are creative.  If you have an idea, create a plan, make a cake, build a fence, take a photo, you are creating something.  As {Dina Tibbs} said, "As humans, we are, by our very nature, creative.  Our entire lives are nothing but creations."

Let me encourage you to start a creative hobby that will contribute to your physical health and the health of your heart and soul WHILE AT THE SAME TIME providing {lasting benefits to your loved ones}, such as an increased ability to cope, a decrease in stress and depression, and a greater sense of gratitude, purpose, and belonging.  Start memory-keeping.  Start preserving your photos and the stories that go with them in a tactile way--a book or page that can be seen, held, and loved.


Preserving photos in print and writing down your memories and experiences is cathartic and grounding, but it also gives you the benefits of creativity (creating something) and a hobby that I just mentioned.  In addition, recording your own stories and the stories of your family has been {shown to influence children in profound ways}.


I have been memory-keeping for as long as I can remember, and helping people with theirs since 2005.  The best tool I have seen to preserve photos and memories and stories in digital photo-memory books (or with digital scrapbooking) along with permanent, private cloud storage (with no maintenance fees) is FOREVER.  

Physical health is important, but don't forget how much your heart and soul contribute to your physical well-being, too.  Start your new creative hobby, memory-keeping, today, and find out just how good for you it is!  You can get started at the {"How to Get Started"} tab at the top of this page.

Share this post using the share buttons at the left, and Pin this image to Pinterest to save it!

#dontletyourbabiesgrowuptobejpegs

Hooray!  This post was a featured favorite here:
  

26 comments:

  1. This is so true, one thing that's definitely improved my mental health is keeping my bullet journal. Even today just doodling a little header in it made me feel so chilled out! Love this! #wanderingwednesday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading! Yes, I think any moments we can take for creative habits--like the bullet journaling you mentioned--really serve us well.

      Delete
  2. I’ve always been a firm believer of hobbies and the creative outlet they provide for our health! Digital scrapbooking is an awesome out let!! Thanks for the shout out, BTW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely. I loved what you said in your article about hobbies. I think we sometimes look at them as something you do if you have bonus time, but not something important to our well-being. I love the research you quoted. :) Thanks for reading.

      Delete
  3. Wow, I never really put these pieces together about how much creativity can help your health! It makes so much sense, though. Thanks for sharing this info!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Emily. I know--it seems to basic, but so easy to overlook. I loved what I learned from these articles, too. I think about things very differently now!

      Delete
  4. I love this! I believe that creativity leads to more joy and a healthy life. I am an artist and a writer and find my greatest joy in escaping into my paintings, sketches and even my writings ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Donna. Yes, I really believe that tapping into creativity can give us joy and in turn better peace and health. I'm glad to hear you know that to be true. :)

      Delete
  5. Totally agree, blogging for me is my creative outlet. Its stressful sometimes, but as you mentioned some things are good stress and others are bad.Thanks for highlighting how our creativity / hobbies can contribute to our well-being.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having a creative outlet is so important. I've heard it said that when we create we become more like God, and I think there really is something heavenly in creating.

      Delete
  6. This is exactly it! Thanks so much for sharing. I cheered out loud when you argued that everyone is creative in some way! Hurrah for creative hobbies! :) #heartandsoullinkup

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is so validating! We are living in a stressful season with a new baby almost here and a lot going on, but I find myself still enjoying the outlet of working on my hobbies. It leaves me feeling recharged to handle all the challenges that come up. Now I just need to not worry about what other people think! Thanks for sharing! #heartandsoullinup

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you! I'm glad you cheered out loud. :) I firmly, FIRMLY, believe that everyone is creative. We all create, and that's the truth. So glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks so much for the comment. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alicia, I'm so glad! Yes, definitely do not worry about what other people think. Creative hobbies are really more important than we often give them credit for. I think "recharged" is the perfect word. We NEED that. Thanks so much for the great comment, too. Keep creating! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I find even though I am tired after I've been scrapbooking or writing, it's a good kind of tired and I find such joy in creating something, even if it's just for me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Exactly, Donna--a good kind of tired. Like planting flowers. :) I'm so glad you take/make the time to create because it really is rewarding and good for you. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. You know, you are so right here. However, my creativity goes in spurts. I do participate in a few vendor fairs a year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, vendor fairs can be fun. We can be creative in so many ways. Even things like creating a plan for dinner or creating relationships or creating a comfortable home are literally creating because you are bringing to life something that didn't exist (or exist in the same way) without you! Thanks for stopping by, Paula. I appreciate the comment. :)

      Delete
  13. Hi Jennifer, I appreciate your wonderful post! I have noticed that when I engage in my crafting activities, I feel a sense of tranquility around me. It is the moment when I can concentrate exclusively on the task at hand and live in the present. Pursuing hobbies is worth it, and I enjoy creating and showcasing my crafts to others. The quote you included in this post is wonderful, and I am happy that you shared it with us at the Crazy Little Love Birds link party #6. Wishing you a wonderful week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Stephanie--I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Yes, there really is something peaceful (and powerful) about creating! Hobbies really do wonderful things for us, inside and out. Thanks for reading and for your great comment. :)

      Delete
  14. I'm always surprised when people tell me they aren't creative; I mean everyone has some sort of talent! I was lucky to be blessed with and arts and crafts gene and I just love creating-- whenever I'm not getting frustrated at what I'm trying to make. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very right, Joanne. Everybody is good at something--we all have talents. Not all talents look the same, but how boring would life be if they did?! Creating anything is creativity. I'm glad you love creating arts and crafts. I think any time we create something that didn't exist before us, we feel contentment and satisfaction, but we also bless others with it. (Yes, as long as we don't get frustrated--ha ha). Thanks for stopping by and commenting, too!

      Delete
  15. You have to keep active in one way or another. With my current health situation my body has given up on me for anything really physical but I keep my brain/mind and hands busy :) Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 131. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are so many possibilities for expressive creativity, from writing to painting a house or hosting a party. Thanks for visiting and for the Pin!

      Delete
  16. Jennifer, CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 132!

    ReplyDelete

This blog is intended to be a positive, informative, inspiring place, so any comments that match this vision are welcome.