What hobbies/ techniques/ lifestyle changes make you feel great?

[Beltane]

Hey all. I'd like to start a nice little convo where we can talk about the things that make us happy, keep us well, soothe our emotions or that make us feel accomplished/ proud/ confident etc. It can be anything you want- a hobby you do, a type of therapy or technique, your belief system, your family or friends, a dream or goal, a song or band, sport, exercise.

Whatever it is that gets you feeling better or keeps you feeling well, lets share our joys and happiness's so that others can be inspired.

i'll start.

I love Crossfit- it keeps me fit and i'm always feeling accomplished because i see myself doing things i couldn't do before. Each week i can run further than i could the week before, or lift a heavier weight, or do more sit-ups- and I've made friends doing it! I do it in the most evenings to ease the stress of a long day, and to improve my sleep.

I love music- I find songs that match my emotions so I can express them and get them out when I'm feeling overwhelmed. I taught myself to play guitar and love to sing.

My favorite thing of all is sewing.  I've only really started last year, and soon fell in absolute love with it. It always makes me feel better, no matter how distressed. The process of cutting and sewing is so calming, and looking at my finished projects (patchwork quilts, pretty skirts, little knick-knacks like notebook covers) fills me with a feeling of accomplishment, confidence and pride. Other people compliment me on my finished projects, and ask me to make them things.

My dream is to be a kindergarten teacher and to live in the country, surrounded by nature and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Those are things that make me happy, confident, and enjoying life.

What are yours?

[white knight]

Hi Beltane

Hobbies, interests. It's such a huge part of recovery or reshaping your life to suffer less meltdowns.

I use to fly model aircraft. But that costs a fair bit of money and it didnt include my then partner.

I convinced myself over time that finding interests my now wife and I can do that costs very little money is a challenge and those challenges, when met, can be inspiring and pick me up.

6 years ago I purchased a 3 wheeler trike. It tows our camper. We now seek out the freebie camping stops and tour around. We use my smart phone to constantly seek out the weather forecasts and alter our journey to avoid the rain. We make notes on the maps of our visits and grade the stops for future reference. We do not under any circumstances pay to see something we should have a right to see. One recent trip was the Great Ocean Road and Cape Otway. At Cape Otway they wanted a large entrance fee my reply was "I dont want to buy the lighthouse- just see it" and walked off. At the 12 apostles, the same. There is now a huge Japanese tourist money making venture at these places. Yet 10 kms down the road towards Port Campbell we saw the coast that rivalled the 12 apostles.

Sometimes the cheapest hobbies and places are the best simply because you can afford them. It's really about appreciation of the simple things in life.  My first wife (bless her) told me once. "when you watch a flower bloom from beginning to end...then you have appreciated the beauty in life".

Well said.

Tony wK

[HA1]

OK Beltane will repost - thankfully I saved a copy.

[little_pepper]

I totally agree about appreciating the simpler things in life. When i take a walk there is always something interesting to see even though I've done it hundreds of times. I'm sure there's some saying about not crossing the same river twice.... 

 A couple of years ago i made my 'tree change' and moved out to the country and totally fell in love with the life style. Even though the move triggered a depressive episode I felt more supported than i would in the city. ( Two offers to do my washing even when i didn't know them that well. Or maybe they just wanted to get into my underwear 🙂 ) Now i am settled and some people consider me to be a local rather than a blow in from the big smoke.I spend time working at a part time job, part time tafe and part time building/reno. The balance is great because i don't get bored only doing one thing. I like to have enough money to keep the roof over my head and the bills payed but i also like being able to eat and make lunch at home and doing renovations. I'm lucky to only have a small mortgage and at 25 im not convinced that i ever want to work full time again.

      I've started studying art at the tafe in town and really enjoy learning different techniques and have started getting really into felting and natural dyeing. I use art to like writing in a journal. Some days are really playful and others are curious or when i can't get the words out. 

Watering the garden is one of my favorite things to do and instantly relaxes me. I love the smells, watching the sunlight filter through the trees and eating tomatoes and snow peas straight out of the garden. I love watching things grow.

[HA1]

Thanks for sharing your story little pepper!  Sounds like such a beautiful outcome.  So much to look forward to ....

K

[PurpleShade]

I'm enjoying reading the replies in this thread.

I grew up in the bush and my dream is to get back one day.

For now I'm trying to focus on the home space we have now and due to my studies and mental health alot of tasks in the house have fallen to the wayside so recently I have been culling and cleaning our humble first home so that we are clear of clutter and can find things when the mind is a little hectic.  It feels really good to get rid of stuff that serves no role in my home but even better to be able to give what we don't need to charity.

I love creating things, whether it be drawing, painting, sewing or crafts.  I find the creative space is a private place I can go and process life's challenges without having to think too hard.  I really love painting nature, I felt so at home in the bush, lakes and beaches.

I love to exercise, I love feeling strong and in particular I enjoy cycling because I can go places I need to be without using the car and its so less stressful to ride than to drive.  I also love to jog and walk, I'm not competitive or aiming for any big distances, I just like to keep moving and the feeling of freedom it gives me and the connection it starts up with the locals in my neighbourhood park.

I love to visit my parents, my parents are retired and in each others company alot so I find it helps them and me to drop in regularly so that it breaks up their day abit and brings in new energy.  I love to spend time with their beautiful dog and will cuddle, walk and play with her (animals are so unconditional).

I enjoy walks in nature..its the place my soul comes to life, I feel like I can tackle the day when I'm observing/embracing the beauty around me (might sound corny but its true for me).

I have recently applied to volunteer at a few different settings and I look forward to this as so far its proven to be rewarding to shift the focus off myself.

There are other things I do that help me keep afloat, for now that's what springs to mind

🙂

[Little_Otter]

I love doing creative and crafty things. most weeks I knit/crochet with two of my pals, we watch telly together, we've been doing it for years. I go through phases where I don't pick up the sticks and string, a combination of horrible hot weather and brain drain.

I like to play video games, console games like Skyrim, the Zelda series and Soul Calibur are some of my favourites.  I also play Minecraft on a server with friends,  it's very addictive fun.

I draw, paint and sculpt. I also make jewellery.  

I listen to music, ABC Classic FM is my favourite station. I also sing. I'm trained as a jazz singer.

I am a voracious reader, I've read 22 books this year! My favourite genres are high fantasy - think Tolkien with swords, magic, battles, good vs evil, and historical romance novels written by contemporary female Australian authors,  mostly set in the 1900s-1970s. Two of my favourite authors are Tad Williams and Belinda Alexander.

 I also talk/write too much!

without these things,  I am not myself. They help me stay well. 

[MisterM]

Playing guitar
Songwriting
Jamming with musos
Listening to music
Jogging
Cycling

[Cymru]

Great ideal Beltane.
1. Talk to friend(s)

2. Listen to friend(s)__

3. Journaling___________________________

4. Cycling daily_(at least 5km, sometimes much more!) and having coffee while reading/writting

5. Lying very still_

6. Travel; to new places in city, by train, interstate, NZ, OS

7. Herbal (fruit) tea_______________________ 

8. Planning nice things for partner, sons, children 

[draw-one-a-day]

Taking a moment every day to connect with something that you love to do truly has a positive effect on your day – I speak of experience... it certainly had on mine!

Being in business is great, I can attest to that – have been for 14 years! But it can get very busy and stressful at times, where you end up pushing away the fun things you do outside of work... leaving you unbalanced and heavy.

For years I've been trying to be creative with paintings, but I found I often lacked enough time and was left with unfinished pieces.

Finally, in August 2015, I grew tired of the same old “don’t have time for that”, things getting in the way" and “I wish...”. Something had to change. For me a catalyst was an art book my wife gave me… it was a 6-week drawing course. Why she gave it to me I am still not clear, because I know how to draw (being a traditionally trained graphic designer)! But as a flicked through a little light went on inside: although I don’t have time to paint large paintings, heck don’t even have time for the little paintings anymore… but I could surely achieve one simple drawing or sketch every day to draw something, anything!

So, finally, I resolved to a one-a-day commitment of taking pen (or brush) in hand – despite my busy schedule as a business owner and parent, regardless of what life threw at me, or how tired I was. If quickly found that every day I started with nothing and at the end of it there was always a surprise, and there seemed to be an unspoken conversation flowing through the drawings/paintings (sounds familiar? – bit like life isn’t it!).

That one-a-day has now grown into an exhibition, which I am really excited about.