Relaxing activities you can do to take your mind off negative thoughts

Is it possible to get away from a destructive agenda and sad news in difficult times when we are going through many negative situations and emotions, such as loss and grief, natural disasters, social trauma, uncertainty and anxiety about the future, when we do not know what to do and cannot take care of yourself, your soul and your mind? ? Is there anything we can do to distract our minds and avoid negative events for a few hours? Yes, we can get support from some hobbies and activities to cope with the stress we’re under and feel a little better. It is not necessary to have a hobby; A few pleasant or distracting activities throughout the day can help us get some distraction and take our minds off the destructive news on the agenda for a while. So what can we do?

By doing some home cooking, spending time outdoors, or tapping into the healing powers of nature, food, and paw friends, we can pass the time by distracting our minds from negative thoughts during stressful and difficult times. Here are some suggestions to inspire you:

Color the mandala: Even if you have artistic hobbies such as drawing, pencil drawing, wood painting in your regular life, you may not be able to allocate the attention, time and energy needed for these hobbies during stressful times. Then you can try to draw a mandala, which is a relatively simple and easy-to-use version of such artistic activities. Even if you don’t usually engage in artistic hobbies in your daily life, coloring a mandala can help calm your mind during stressful times. You can try mandala coloring books specially designed for adults.

Walk: “There is comfort in a disguised place.” in other words, a change of scenery can create a relaxing effect. Also the healing power of nature; If you also think about birdsong, the rustle of leaves, sunshine and fresh air, even if a brisk run or high-tempo outdoor exercise is not your first choice in stressful and difficult times, taking a light and short walk can help you get distracted for a while from negative thoughts in the mind.

Prepare: Whether you are a kitchen savvy or not, you may have noticed that both cooking and eating are emotional activities. Spending time in the kitchen preparing a recipe you’ve never tried before can distract your hands and mind and save you from the maelstrom of negative news for a while. You don’t have to try a complicated recipe, even an herbal tea, a light dessert or a flavored coffee recipe will help you take your mind off the agenda.

Take up gardening: Touching the ground, stroking the leaves of plants, inhaling magical flowers or cutting grass, in short, anything that pushes you to connect with nature can help you relax and take your mind off the agenda a bit while we try to deal with the negative emotions and thoughts created social trauma.

Do relaxation exercises: If you don’t feel like going outside, or if a short walk in the fresh air is not enough, but you don’t want to exhaust yourself any more at a time when we already feel physically and mentally tired, you can try to do relaxation exercises. Houses. Practices like yoga, meditation, breathing, and mindfulness exercises can help you reduce stress and anxiety and spend time doing activities that make you feel better in the process.

Spend time with animals: You must have witnessed the charms of our little pawed friends many times, and, of course, the time spent with them lifts your spirits… If you have a pet at home, you can spend more time with him during this stressful period or can provide basic needs such as food and water for street animals. If you wish, you can also visit animal shelters and let your little friends bring some joy to life. You might also be inspired by our article on the evidence that a pet adds “positive energy” to your life.

Take care of cleanliness and order: Imagine; Have you ever had a job, a project that needed to be done the next day, or when you were about to take an important exam in the morning, instead of working the night before, you got up and started cleaning the house? If your answer is “yes”, you can understand why you take cover cleaning, which will keep you physically and mentally occupied in order to avoid a stressful situation or event. It might be a good idea to clean up the clutter in your home, tidy up your trash drawers if you have them, or dust the room so it smells good so you can spend your time doing something other than watching negative news. In addition, you may feel a little better in your clean and tidy living quarters.

Change decoration: If you are not interested in cleaning or don’t want to, perhaps you can give the idea of ​​changing the decoration a try. It does not need to move all the furniture; You can change the placement of small items, decorative items, mirrors or paintings, or try using an item you always use in the same room in another room. While a little change is good for you, you can take the stress out of your agenda by taking the time to decorate.

Write something: Writing can turn into a therapeutic activity. You don’t have to take on large works such as poetry, books, or articles; You can only write down what’s on your mind, what’s in your heart, your fears, your worries, your worries, you can make a list of everything you’re grateful for, or you can prepare a letter to yourself from the future. If you find that writing is good for you, you can add journaling to your daily routine The Healing Power of Writing: You can also take a look at our 4 tips to make your writing easier.

Spend time with loved ones: When going through stressful and difficult times, you may want to be alone and take a break from socializing. Being alone with yourself is, of course, your most natural need, but when you prolong this period of loneliness, you may be left alone with more negative emotions and thoughts. For this reason, keeping in mind the importance of social connections, you can gain strength from the connection between you and your loved ones to get through this process.

Try board games: Even if you don’t usually call yourself a “gamer”, you can give board games a chance to be with your loved ones and take your mind off the news. You can try activities such as word games, chess, puzzles, or Lego. If you’d like, you can also check out our article on why adults who love games are happier.

It can be very difficult to follow the plot of a book or focus on a movie, but activities that don’t require strict timelines like the above, that don’t tire you mentally or physically, and that you can easily try, can be good ideas to try during stressful times.

You may be interested in: Postponing Life: Are you sure you want to put happiness on hold?