Sara
Living in the city, it’s no surprise if you’re often stressed out. Who isn’t? With the hustle and bustle of New York sometimes you need to take a breather and relax, whether it’s on the train during your morning commute or after work with a group of people. Either way, you need to de-stress! One of the easiest ways to do this is to take part in some arts and crafts — participation in such an activity can induce a sense of well-being and therefore lower levels of stress immensely.
If you’re feeling particularly tense or need to take some time for yourself, try out one of these crafty activities. There is a variety of classes to choose from, so take your pick! We’re going to highlight a few. You can go alone or with a friend; regardless, you will leave with a new skill, a take-home project, or a sense of being relaxed!
Build a terrarium. If you don’t know what a terrarium is, it is essentially a tiny green world you create in a container of some sort, whether it be a light bulb, a mason jar, etc. You can customize it to fit your personality and have as many (or as few) plants as you’d like! Insert little figurines or use cacti, it’s your world and you can design it however you like.
Knit a scarf. Winter is coming (well, it’s already here but a Game of Thrones reference is always necessary) and a scarf the perfect winter item to keep you warm. Learn how to knit and create a specialized scarf for yourself. You can use whatever colors you like and express your individuality through the art form. It’s also proven that the repetitive motion of knitting and crocheting helps to calm the mind and ease it into a relaxed state, which is exactly what we’re trying to do.
Print something cool. Whether you decide to print your own shoes or learn how to silkscreen, nothing is more satisfying than seeing your design print onto something you can share. The feeling of completion and fulfillment once you’ve learned all the necessary steps to print and can hold something that you created will send your mind all those happy thoughts that will relieve some of your work tension.
Paint a story. Get your hands a little dirty and express yourself through the medium of paint. Like knitting, the repetitive motions of painting will lower your stress levels and feeling the brush glide across a canvas will make everything feel a lot easier to handle. Not only will you walk away with an original piece of art, you will be able to use your hands and concentrate on painting something expressive rather than everything else you have piled up on your shoulders. That’s what Rapunzel did!
You can always go with some other crafty activity but try some of these out. In the end, the most important part is that you find a way to relieve your stress and have fun while doing it!
Sources:
http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/rbook/stress.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/art-therapy-and-stress-management-the-link-between-the-two