Why Hobbies Can Improve Our Mental Health and Help With Chronic Pain

As I am sure my readers know I am a big advocate of hobbies to help with pain and mental health. Recently I have been unwell with Covid which has left me with a lung infection and problems with my neck due to all the coughing.

Most days I will work on one of my hobbies from writing, knitting, card making or painting but this week I have struggled to do any of them due to the pain in my neck and how I have been feeling.

I soon felt low and realised to help get myself better quicker I needed to work around my current problem so I devised a type of stand so that my ipad and artwork could lean on it and I could still keep my head straight and work on them without it hurting.

My problems are minimal in comparison to many disabled people but it did make me think about how people can overcome certain problems to enable them to enjoy a hobby.

Research Reading wrote that "research shows that having a hobby is linked to lower levels of depression - and may even prevent depression for some. "

Web MD writes that "hobbies give you a chance to get involved in activities that you enjoy and help you take a load off. Very often, you’ll find yourself looking forward to indulging in your hobby after a stressful day or week at work."

CNET has a list of 8 hobbies that will help your mental health spring forward.

I wrote a post on Over Thirty Hobbies for People with Chronic Pain here and Ten Hobbies For Women You Can Enjoy from Home.

Source: Research Reading Web MD CNET Back Pain Blog