6 Mindful Hobbies to Incorporate Into Your Daily Routine

Creating a daily routine is often a method recommended by therapist, friends, and family to help when someone is in a funk. Having a solid routine to fall back on when you’re feeling a little bit lost is a great way to find purpose in your days, giving you little things to look forward to! Yet, creating a routine and sticking to it can feel like a daunting task. And when you (most likely) break out of this routine it can generate feelings of embarrassment, guilt, and failure; ultimately counteracting why you created one in the first place. This post is to remind you that routines aren’t made to be followed everyday forever. If you find yourself in that routine everyday that’s great! But don’t feel discourage when you fall out of step, that too is part of the routine. What I feel is most important is to keep faith in yourself and utilize your routine in times of hopelessness and low motivation. What has kept me faithful to a routine has been to keep mindful, but low pressure activities in my routine. So I would like to share with you: Six Hobbies/Activities I have incorporated into my daily routine that has helped me feel more mindful in my day-to-day life.

Painting:

What I think is great about painting is that you can always paint over mistakes relatively easily. Painting is a way to express yourself without the anxiety of a mistake. No eraser marks, or crumpled up pieces of paper. Paint and canvas are more forgiving; allowing your creativity to flow without fear of mistakes. Whether you embrace the mistakes or cover them up, painting allows you to create art without holding yourself to as many expectations.

I have a canvas that I keep around for when I’m anxious. I dump my disheveled feelings onto the canvas with the paint, then set it aside for the next time I’m feeling that way! I think I’ve painted over it about 5 times now! Each time with a new emotion I work through with my paints.

Ballet:

I feel like ballet has a stigma as a girly sport but it can be a great low impact exercise that helps with body alignment. Light ballet stretching can help you get active and if you are doing it right will take up a large amount of concentration! (leaving little room for intrusive/anxious thoughts) I did the most ballet while in the early stages of recovering from my knee injury I got skateboarding. I’ve even heard the strict alignment ballet requires has been able to help basketball players with their layups and football players with their tackles and throws. From Rob Gronkowski to Michael Jordan, ballet training has more benefits than meets the eye. Keeping your hips square, ribs and tailbone tucked, feet pointed, but staying light as a feather, ends up taking more mental capacity than you’d think! A great pointer I have gotten which can sound a little morbid but very intriguing at the same time is to imagine your limbs are lumps of meat hanging off a small thread, as if on a clothes line! (O.o) spooky right?

Yoga:

I love yoga and think it’s a great way to start or end your day, or even to help with midday anxieties and exhaustion. Yoga helps relieve the pressure and strain life can put on your body. There is a stigma around yoga that you have to have a quiet, peaceful mind, and be super flexible to have a productive practice; but this is completely false! I think of yoga as an extended version of stretching when you just wake up in bed or yawn. Yoga is all about holding that tension you get as you move your body. So next time you’re at work or at home and you reach your hands over your head for a big yawn, try and hold that feeling and extend it to lean side to side, fold forward, lean backwards…you might find yourself working your way into an entire flow before you know it! The key is to start small, and do what makes you comfortable and feel good.

Take a Walk:

This is one activity I always looked past. As simple as it is, I ignored the importance of a nice stroll and instead would say I’d rather hit the gym or if I was going to go outside I’d run instead for a better workout. But walking forces you to slow down, notice your body, surroundings, and breath. It’s a simple joy that many people take for granted, especially for people like me who are blessed to live in a more rural community where roads are empty and nature surrounds you every step.

—SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 17.8

Even if you are living in a city, take the time to find routes where you may be able to find a slice of peace and tranquility where you can appreciate your surroundings and slow down!

Reading:

This is a common activity that gets suggested when you begin creating a routine. Yet, in my experience, starting off with a novel right when you start leaves you with a half read book glaring at you from your bookshelf; reminding you of your failed attempt to begin your reading journey. My advice is don’t start off with a whole novel right in the beginning, especially if you are just starting your routine. Instead, I started off with graphic novels such as Vagabond, and daily one page reads such as the Daily Stoic (quoted above) and 365 Tao. Books that are short and digestible are more easily incorporated into a daily routine. And if you’re like me and get into funks here and there, that’s ok; books with short chapters/daily reads are usually easy to catch up on! So even if you miss a week, two, or even three it still won’t take too much time to catch up and reach your reading goal. Remember to keep it simple and allow yourself to enjoy what you read, instead of tasking yourself with the activity to help avoid getting flashbacks from all those assigned readings you got in school!

Gardening:

Gardening/Caring for Houseplants has been the most beneficial activity in my day-to-day routine. Especially in the summer months where watering my outdoor plants becomes a necessity every morning! Growing plants not only gets you into a routine but also helps you practice patience! And when you see a new plant sprout or a flower bloom, you then feel rewarded for all your hard work! What I like most about this hobby is that it reflects the seasons and goes with your body. For example, winter is a time my routines sometimes fall short and motivation runs low. Similarly, plant growth slows and watering becomes sparse. I use this as a reminder of the importance for me to slow down during the cold months, and mimic nature. It can be easy to get down on yourself in these times, but your houseplants/garden can remind you it’s ok to not always be growing and blossoming. Then in the warmer months, even if you are wanting to sleep in, you are forced to wake up and water before the afternoon sun hits. Your unread book on your shelf will not mind you forgetting your daily obligation, but a leafy plant in the summer sun with no water will be sure to remind you of your mistake! After killing off and scorching a few of your favorite plants, your garden will help remind you of the importance of commitment, patience, and life fluctuations. In turn, they will reward your commitment with their blooms and sprouts! I think plants are a great reflection of a routine; sometime they grow, sometimes they slow down, sometimes they die, and sometimes they are reborn!

What will your daily routine look like?

The important thing about all of these activities is to pick one that makes you feel at ease, but also engages your mind/body. Take it slow and enjoy these activities as a form of self care and self love. It is easy to get caught up in the expectations of life. Enjoying creativity and activity can help you slow down and lead a more mindful and present day. When you create your own routine be sure to not be so hard on yourself! Like I said before, it’s only natural to fall in and out of step! Utilize those ups and downs to re-motivate yourself to return/reimagine your routine. Reflect on why you fell out of step, for how long, and how you felt during that period. When you begin again, you are granted an opportunity to engage in your activities with a new mindset. When you are ready to start again, you are able to bring in your new perspectives and revitalize your passions and hobbies! It may not always be easy to have a routine, and it may not always go to plan, but to keep faith that it can be a good thing. Returning to a routine in times of doubt is a great way to refresh your perspective on life and encourage you to bring more mindful and intentional actions back into your day-to-day.