6 trendy hobbies to relieve stress and find a purpose

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you like to be in trend, pay attention to these activities.

1. Ecstatic dancing

This is the practice of intuitive movements to the music. There is no need to memorize a pas or follow certain steps. Dancers follow the rhythm, mood, experience. Ecstatic dance is a kind of meditation in motion, experiencing emotions, a way to cope with stress and relieve tension.

And although the name emanates a bit of a sect, the lesson itself is more like a disco, to which people just came to break away.

"And what, it was so possible?" - this is the first thought that came into my head when I came to ecstatic dances. Nobody here tells you how to dance. Whatever you do, everything will be right.

There are three unusual moments for those who, like me, have gone through the club 90s. You can't talk on the dance floor here. Talking with your body, gestures, sounds - please, but not a word. They dance without shoes - barefoot or in socks. And one more thing: no stimulants - neither legal nor illegal. Only you, your body, music and your experience.

Here, no one evaluates you, does not restrain you, you can do whatever you want, but with respect to others. Here, with the help of music and through your body, you meet yourself. Sometimes this meeting is pleasant. But sometimes your "shadows" begin to crawl out of you, and this is not very pleasant, but useful. Someone famously said, "One visit to ecstatic dancing replaces several visits to a psychoanalyst."

What it takes to get started

If you know how to dance like no one is watching, theoretically any space with music will do. But it is better to look for a special group where ecstatic dancing is practiced. The organizers usually try to create all the conditions so that the participants can focus only on their feelings, for example, they prohibit photography and video filming. No equipment other than your own body is required.

2. SUP

The name comes from the English stand up paddle, and the phrase fully explains the meaning of the lesson: it is moving on the board while standing and with an oar. This activity has several varieties that allow you to conquer both the waves and the surface of a river or lake, which is important for most of Russia.

SUP is of several types:

• SUP touring - unhurried movement on calm water. In the process, you can see the surroundings and attractions.
• SUP surfing is a type of surfing in which the athlete does not row with his hands, but with an oar.
• SUP racing - speed racing.
• SUP downwind - rowing in open water in the direction of the wind.
• Whitewater rivers SUP - rafting on a rough river.
• SUP fitness - exercises on a board lying on the water.

Some SUP varieties may seem like an easy exercise, but in reality it is necessary not only to row, but also to maintain balance. To do this, you have to use the muscles of the legs, abs, back. Extreme varieties like rafting require mandatory equipment.

What it takes to get started

You will need a paddleboard - a board that can be inflatable or rigid, as well as a paddle. Ideally, a beginner should take one or more classes with an instructor. The specialist will explain what to do and how, correct the technique.

In addition, before you go out on the water, find out who may be there besides you. For example, in St. Petersburg, classes are held in the morning, before the departure of excursion ships.

3. Calligraphy

Calligraphy is hardly a new hobby: it has existed as long as writing. However, from time to time, the art of beautiful writing becomes fashionable, and now is just that time. An important role in this was played by the artist Pokras Lampas and his direction of calligraphy tourism.

What it takes to get started

Pablo Picasso, before moving on to Cubism, mastered the classics. In calligraphy, this approach will work too. Even if you want to say a new word in art, you should start from scratch.

You will need pens, a pen holder, ink, and paper. A set of basic exercises with detailed explanations is easy to find on YouTube.

4. Podcasting

Podcasts are specially recorded shows in audio format. They appeared in the early 2000s, then began to lose popularity, and are now experiencing a renaissance.

You can not only listen to podcasts, but also record them. This hobby is suitable for those who like to broadcast to the public in one way or another. First, they used LiveJournal and other blogging platforms for this, then social media feeds, Instagram and YouTube accounts.

Podcasting is the most logical thing to compare to creating your own YouTube channel. The same transmission, only the entry threshold is lower. There is no need for a video camera, background, light, and only the sound track is to be edited. But you still can't do without a script if you want to make your podcast really interesting.

What it takes to get started

From the minimum equipment you need a good microphone, a computer, audio recording and editing software - not much. Your main tool is your head, which will have to think a lot about the podcast topic, plan and possible guests.

5. Intuitive creativity

For a long time, it was believed that the right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for creative thinking, the left - for logic. From which of them dominates, the inclinations and talents of a person will depend. Therefore, a whole course of right-brain studies appeared, and it all began with intuitive drawing. It was invented by the American art teacher and Ph. D. Betty Edwards. The essence of right hemisphere drawing is to create without relying on schemes and images fixed in memory, to turn off the left hemisphere.

Later it turned out that it was impossible to talk about the dominant hemispheres of the brain. The system works much more complicated, including due to the active interaction of various areas. Both hemispheres play a role in both the logical and the creative process.

However, intuitive creativity without strict adherence to a plan is really useful and even used for art therapy. It helps to deal with stress (as, indeed, other forms of art) and splash out emotions.

Among the unusual types of right-brain activities, for example, intuitive knitting.

Liya Handiwork An intuitive knitting blogger.

This is knitting without precise calculations, with the selection of color combinations on a whim, based on personal perception of color, and with the manifestation of imagination directly in the process of creating a product. For me, it all started with knitted jewelry, continued with sweaters.

Such a hobby is anti-stress. This is both relaxation and a puzzle at the same time. Suitable for everyone who has a soul in a measured seat under the noise of the TV, for people with imagination, for lovers of handmade gifts.

What it takes to get started

If we talk about drawing, you will need paper and tools that you like: pencil, paints, felt-tip pens. Since the activity is intuitive, trust this feeling and choose something to your liking. But lessons on what and how to do are not needed. Just throw whatever comes to mind on the paper.

If you decide to try intuitive knitting, you will need threads, as well as knitting needles or a crochet hook. But you have to learn the basic loops.

6. Activism

Fashionable is also topical, and what can be more topical than an open expression of one's position and support of thoughts with deeds?

And this is not necessarily related to politics and rallies. Activism is all about volunteering, and avoiding plastic bags for the sake of the environment, and smart consumption that benefits the planet and saves you money, and abandoning purchases from unscrupulous brands that have tarnished themselves with shameful advertising.

Telling the truth, not being afraid to point out injustice is also quite an occupation, which requires a lot of mental strength and, of course, time. For example, you may have to read a lot on a topic in order to have a reasoned argument based on facts, not emotions. In general, there is always something to do, where to strive and develop.

What it takes to get started

To defend your position, you need to form it. To do this, you need to know a lot, constantly pass through large amounts of information and analyze it, be able to be guided not only by your experience, admitting that it is not universal, and sensibly consider the arguments of opponents. The biggest work you have to do is work on yourself.