When it comes to stress relief, oftentimes I think we picture taking a hot bath, maybe watching a movie, or exercising…

Something else I want you to consider the next time you’re stressed is a creative outlet! Creative outlets can be anything you enjoy doing that gets your brain working, but that is not stressful and actually relieves stress for you.

How do creative outlets relieve stress, though?

Well, they get us to take our minds off of whatever is stressing us out – whether that be our jobs, families, or other problems that occur in our lives. If you’re enjoying an activity and are focused on it, then you are relieving the stress of worrying about other things that are going on in your life.

No, I’m not saying just go paint a picture and avoid all of your problems. What I’m saying is, when you know you’re stressed, mentally drained, and exhausted, try taking a break and enjoying yourself by doing one of these creative activities!

Choose what sounds most interesting or stress-relieving to you, and plan a time to do it. Let’s get into the ideas…

Photography

I think we all enjoy looking at photos – we see beautiful pictures every day all over social media. Viewing pictures has always been a beautiful way to communicate, and now-a-days we all have cameras.

Instead of sticking to your usual selfies and pictures of your pets (we’re all guilty and there’s nothing wrong with it), I challenge you to get outside, out of your comfort zone – take some photos of nature, your city’s downtown area, your neighborhood, your friends, your spouse – get creative!

It acts as such a stress relief to enjoy being outside in nature and creating art through photography.

You can get even more creative and into your hobby by playing with different editing programs on your smart phone or computer.

Check out this post from Southern Savers called Top 7 Free Photo Editing Websites.

Adult Coloring Books

This is probably the most obvious of any of the ideas in this post, but I felt it was still worth mentioning because coloring books are easy to access and most people have some markers or colored pencils laying around.

A quick Amazon search for “adult coloring books” should do the trick.

You can also find tons of options at your local craft store, Target, or Walmart!

Jewelry-Making

Do you guys remember the bright-colored little beads and jewelry-making kits we used to have as kids? They were so fun!

There’s no reason as adults we can’t have as much fun with a little more modern-looking jewelry.

This article from Veguci mentions over 30 different DIY jewelry-making ideas.

Thrifting Outfits

There is something so exciting about finding an amazing piece of clothing at the thrift store! It’s cheap, it’s sustainable and it’s an amazing article of clothing!

My favorite way to do this is to find outfit inspiration on Pinterest, then make a list of things I’d like to find at the thrift store.

Just the other day I bought two beautiful, classic wool coats for less than $10 each at Goodwill!

I find thrifting is one of the best ways to find quality, sustainable basics that never go out of style.

Painting, Drawing

Two of the most classic, obvious art forms are painting and drawing. There’s a freeing feeling when you’re able to let your creative juices flow onto a canvas or piece of paper.

Have you ever tried a “paint & sip” or “wine & design” class? I did once, and it was a lot of fun! Do a quick Google search for ones in your area.

Writing

My personal favorite – writing!

Whether you enjoy blogging, poetry, songwriting – whatever it is – get out a pen and paper (or type it!) and start writing down your thoughts.

There’s something so freeing (to me, at least) about taking thoughts from your mind and putting them out in front of you. It also helps you get things organized!

If you enjoy writing stories, start writing and see where it takes you – remember, creative time is you time so it is whatever you make it!

Have you ever heard of a brain dump or tried it? If you don’t know where to start, follow some of the prompts listed below!

What do you need to get done this week that will help you better prepare for the rest of the month?

What goals do you need to achieve to be where you want to be a year from now?

What do you need more of in your life?

What have you been avoiding lately?

Who in your life do you admire most and why?

What can you do today that your future self will thank you for?

Go as in depth with your answers as you want – brain dumping is its own category of therapy in my opinion.

Gardening

Are you a nature lover like me?

I get so much joy out of caring for my houseplants and I really find pruning and watering my plants to be therapeutic.

Even if you don’t have a green thumb or the time to care for a living plant, you may enjoy putting together a floral arrangement as a home decor piece.

I love this post from Shabby Fufu (what a cute name!) called Fake Flower Arrangements – Making Them Look Real.

Cooking

Pinterest is one of the best places to start if you want to make a creative new recipe!

Whether you want to do something new and innovative or you just want to follow instructions, cooking is a great way to be creative.

Remember, creative outlets are for relieving stress – not adding more stress to your life. So, don’t take your activities too seriously! Just enjoy some downtime and have fun with your artsy side.

What are your favorite creative outlets? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @selflovescript!