Think out of the box: Hobbies that can boost your creativity

Having hobbies is a great way to live life. They make our lives interesting and help us grow into a better version of ourselves. But, since we indulge in our hobbies in our free time, many tend to discard them as ‘luxury’ only a few can afford. Who has the time, right? What we don’t realise is hobbies are more than just a pastime. Adopting healthy or creative hobbies can do wonders for your mind and body. Research published in Nature has linked “leisure activities to many measures of physical and mental wellbeing, from reduced blood pressures to a sense of belonging.”

Whether you paint, write, cook or play the guitar, hobbies keep you engaged in activities that bring you joy. Believe it or not, your hobbies can also help you overcome obstacles in your path as they hone your creative skills subsequently. For instance, if you like solving puzzles, your ability to take on complicated tasks will improve significantly. If you are looking for ways to increase your creativity, here are some hobbies that can boost your creative thinking.

Indulge in DIY crafts

Do it yourself (DIY) crafts are not just for kids but adults too can benefit from this activity. It is a fun way of using creativity and channelling your emotions. For instance, if your favourite T-shirt looks worn out or faded, you can make modifications to make it look new and different. Or if you have plastic bottles, you can reuse them and turn them into a stationary holder. It is lightweight and you’ll do your part in saving the environment as well. Indulging in DIY crafts is a great way to improve your mood and your creativity. Like author Maya Angelou once said, “you can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

Play board games

Most of us have fond memories of playing board games. Be it with family members or friends, the time we spent throwing dice or moving a chess piece can boost our creativity in more ways than one. The study says, board games “could help temporarily improve one’s divergent thinking capacity.” When you are playing a board game, you are fully focused on finding a way to win. You use your creativity and imagination to come up with new moves that can take you closer to the finishing line. This exercise can boost your creative thinking over time.

Be physically active

Our lack of movement, especially when we are working, can make us dull and affect our health and mood. This, in turn, can hamper our creative skills and imagination. If you want to enhance your creativity, make sure to stay physically active. Exercises such as jogging, walking or practicing aerobics not only improves your physical health but mental fitness too. The more consistent you are, the better you’ll feel about yourself. This will improve your confidence and you would be able to think with a clear, stress-free state of mind.

Learn something new

When you try to learn something new, you push yourself out of your comfort zone and open door to new opportunities. Whether it is learning a new language or playing an instrument, learning something new is the challenge you need to grow and succeed in life. It’s a journey you undertake that motivates you to think differently and see things in a new light. This is how your creativity enhances over time, as you become confident and more in control of your life.

Practice meditation

Meditation is an effective way to improve your creative-thinking ability. This practice can help you become more mindful and increase your attention span. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on these practices, as even 10 minutes of meditation is enough to boost your creativity. A Harvard Business Review article, Can 10 Minutes of Meditation Make You More Creative? found that, “mindfulness mediation works to enhance creativity and innovation, and 10 to 12 minutes of it are enough to boost creativity.” So, if you want to boost your creativity, start practicing meditation.

Create a scrapbook

Scrapbooking is a way of preserving and arranging your precious memories in the form of a book, box or card. You are essentially preserving your story by organising cherished moments of the past so they have meaning in future. Creativity comes to the fore when you decide how to arrange photos, notes, and other materials while simultaneously selecting the colour of paper. And whether to use cutouts to decorate the page and if you should describe a page’s content with a handwritten caption. This is an interesting hobby you can adopt easily that can unlock your creativity.