9 Hobbies To Improve Your Mental Health

Whether your just feeling a bit low, or have more long-term difficulties with mental health, taking up a new activity can help. Sports, crafts and social groups - there's something here for everyone.

Board games

Brigham Young University

There's a lot of research that suggests challenging the brain with puzzles and games helps older people reduce the risk of developing dementia. But the social aspect of playing games can also help improve mental health in younger people too. Monopoly anyone?

Walking

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A quick stroll can really help boost endorphins and your mood, especially if its brisk. But why not go exploring your city - and find a new favourite spot to read a book or people watch? Or, if you live in the countryside, take an adventurous route and conquer that hill.

Knitting

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Working with your hands - and the pleasure of creating something - can give you a real sense of achievement. Research on animals from Princeton University has found that repetitive movements, such as those associate with knitting, enhances the release of serotonin, which is associated with improving mood.

Korfball

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Charities like Mind advocate team sports as a great way to improve mental health. They say they can help draw your attention away from your worries and increase your social contact. Unusual sports teams are always looking for new participants. Why not try Korfball? It has mixed-gender and all-women teams, and is similar to netball and basketball.

Journaling

Kai Altair

Keeping a record of your mood is recommended as a way of both identifying triggers and helping you to work through bad thoughts. But writing can also be a helpful hobby. Or if you don't feel like putting pen to paper, why not cut out quotations or pictures from magazines that you find inspiring or reflective.

Cooking

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When you're feeling down, it's important to eat good, healthy food if you can. Not only does nutritional food help towards improving mental health, cooking can give you more confidence and a sense of achievement, the charity Rethink says.

Singing

Flickr/Brandon Giesbrecht

Music therapy is practiced by health professionals as a reputable method of helping people will mental illness. There are plenty of singing groups for all abilities - so don't worry if you're a bit rusty. Or just blast the radio at home and sing along to the top of your lungs for a quick boost.

Swimming

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Submerging yourself in water increases positive emotions, Livestrong says. Swimming can also encourage competitive spirit, which gives a feeling of well-being according to a 2010 report by University of Valencia, Spain.

Bird watching

Public Domain Images

You might scoff, after all it's not got the best reputation. But according to birder Joe Harkness, who has OCD and general anxiety disorder, his hobby has given him "positive focus, especially in managing obsessive behaviours such as organisation, categorisation and list making." His research has shown that there are plenty of other bird watchers who feel the same way.