Recommended activities (and products) for positive mental health

As we know, lockdown has negatively impacted many people’s mental health and we have lost some of our coping strategies, whether that be seeing friends or going to the gym. So, I have created a list of activities (that you can do from home) that have helped me in times of low mood in the hope that it can give you some ideas for mood boosting activities.

I have mentioned before that reading gets me into a state of 'flow' whereby I am truly in the present moment, without being distracted by thoughts. These are some other activities that get me into that zone.  

DISCLAIMER – this makes me seem like a very artistic person. Trust me, I am not. My 'creations' are shocking, even my mum laughs at them. But it doesn't matter that the final piece isn't great, it is the process that brings the enjoyment, as cringe as that sounds.

Baking

I used to love baking but the past few years I haven’t been baking, mainly due to time. But something that lockdown has provided us with is more time, so I have been getting my bake on and I am really enjoying it!

There is something therapeutic about making a cake or brownies, seeing your delicious achievement shortly after and, it is even better when you get to eat them all afterwards.

Products I recommend:

  • Baked In | Home Baking Kits & Monthly Subscription Boxes

I know it can be difficult at the moment to get what you want from the supermarket which is why Baked In is so great, not only do they offer a monthly subscription but you can order 1 baking kit of your choice without subscribing to anything if you wanted to. I trialled their 3-month subscription and found it something I looked forward to arriving each month. It is also a great present idea!
You can purchase on: https://bakedin.co.uk/collections/baking-kits

Colouring 

There is something therapeutic about colouring in an image or shapes, it gets me within that 'flow' state whereby I do not think of anything other than the task at hand. 

Products I recommend: 

  • Mrs Hinch: The Activity Journal  

This book has so much more to offer than just colouring in, it has a host of fun and simple activities to keep yourself happily distracted for a period of time. It helps if you are a Mrs Hinch fan, I love her!  
You can purchase on: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Hinch-Activity-Journal/dp/0241426847/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=mrs+hinch&qid=1586701242&sr=8-2  

  • Mellow Doodles: The Self Love Colouring Book 

This is a beautiful small colouring book which has a strong self-love theme throughout. It also features some of her popular Instagram images @mellow.doodles . 
You can purchase on: https://www.mellowdoodles.com/product-page/the-self-love-colouring-book  

Free products I recommend:  

  • Crayola Colouring Pages 

Check out the category section and find a page you would like to colour in.  
You can find them on: http://www.crayola.co.uk/free-coloring-pages/  

  • Counter-Print Happy Colouring 

Counter-Print have two free colouring booklets you can download online. 
You can find on: https://www.counter-print.co.uk/pages/happy-colouring  

  • If you search "free colouring pages" in Google, you will find a wide selection of colouring pages. 

Crafts 

Knitting 

Head over to Hobby Craft and grab yourself some knitting needles and some yarn. There are loads of YouTube tutorials online to help get you started and I promise once you get the hang of it, it's easy.  

You can make something like a scarf if you wanted or, if like me you know it will never really amount to anything that you would consider wearing, just knit for the sake of it. I have had just one long line of orange knitting going for months, okay years. But I don't care about the end product, I just do it for the enjoyment of the process and how it distracts my mind.  

Pottery 

After going to a pottery painting studio, I remembered my time creating pottery in Textiles at school. I used to really enjoy it so I bought some air hardening clay (which means you don’t need a kiln) to see what I can create. So far I have only attempted a tealight holder which was awful so I am going to try again shortly with something larger like a bowl and hope it looks slightly better 😊.  

Then you can paint your creation, once it is finished and the clay has dried, using acrylic paint. Look on Pinterest or google for some design inspiration! 

Products I recommend:  

  • Hobby Craft: White Air Drying Clay 

This is what I use in my little pottery sessions. It is really easy to use and paint over. 
You can purchase on: https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/white-air-drying-clay-1kg/566719-1001  

  • Hobby Craft: DAS Hardwood Clay Modelling Tools  

These are great tools for sculpting the clay. 
You can purchase on: https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/das-hardwood-clay-modelling-tools-7-pack/610870-1000 

  • Hobby Craft: Home Craft Acrylic Paint 

This is the paint I use on my dried clay but you can use it to paint pictures and much more also! This is the cheapest type on Hobby Craft and comes in a wide range of colours. 
You can purchase on: https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/white-home-craft-acrylic-paint-60ml/630948-1000 

Journaling 

Before you scroll over this section, give me a minute. I have never been able to consistently stick to journaling as I don’t know what to say or write about and, if I'm honest, I find it a bit cringe.  But I love a bit of stationary so I looked into 'the best quick journals' online and found The Five Minute journal.  

You spend 3-minutes in the morning answering 3 questions and 2-minutes in the evening answering 2 questions. The questions are simple and are the same every day so you never have to think about what to write.  

I think my top tip for journaling is it to not think too much about your answer(s) as you then end up judging your own response and end up stuck on what to write. Even if some days I can only think of the same thing I thought of yesterday and the day before, I write it anyway as something is better than nothing. And I really am grateful for my bed and cups of tea. 

You can find more information and FREE sample pages of the journal here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1186/0402/files/5MJ_Sample_7_Day_Intro.pdf?v=1584397021&utm_campaign=Five%20Minute%20Journal%20Free%20Daily%20Layout%203%2F16%2F20%20%28Lz2i4Y%29&utm_medium=campaign-email&utm_source=Klaviyo&_ke=eyJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJlbWlseS1vbmVpbGxAaG90bWFpbC5jby51ayIsICJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIm5GRWUzUiJ9  

Products I recommend: 

Painting 

Just like colouring, painting gets me in a ‘flow’ state where 20-minutes can pass when it feels like 2-minutes. As I said earlier, it doesn’t matter if the painting is awful. No-one has to see it, it is purely for your enjoyment.

Pottery painting 

Whether that is painting on your own creations or going to a pottery painting shop, I find this so therapeutic and fun.  

Painting on to ready-made objects 

Places like Hobbycraft sell ready-made objects that you can paint such as wooden hearts, plant pots and much more.   

Painting on paper 

Initially, I would just google 'easy paintings for beginners' for inspiration which was good but then I found Brush and Bubbles on Instagram (@brushandbubbles), who do painting tutorials on their IGTV. As someone who is not artistic, they make it really simple to follow along and its quite easy to end up with a good painting at the end of it!  

Products I recommend:  

  • Brush and Bubbles Art Kit 

This set comes with everything you need and more to get started on your painting. 
You can purchase on: https://www.brushandbubbles.com/shop/artkit 

  • Hobby Craft: Craft Blanks & Bases  

This is where I found some objects to paint on, there is a selection of wooden and paper mache shapes. 
You can purchase on: https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/crafts-and-hobbies/craft-blanks-and-bases/wooden-letters-numbers-and-shapes  

Top tip - buy acrylic paint and then you can use it on paper and on objects! I got mine from Hobby Craft but you can get it from Amazon or your local art shop.  

Podcasts 

Head over to the 'recommended' section on my website to see my recommended podcasts - https://www.balancelifewell.co.uk/podcasts 

Reading 

Head over to the 'recommended' section on my website to see all of my recommended books - https://www.balancelifewell.co.uk/books  

I would LOVE to know whether you found this blog helpful, feel free to tag or DM me with your creations!

Emily1 Comment