Stress just sucks. I would get so stressed out when I was younger — there was always so much to do…
I learned how to self-soothe by reading and journaling daily but I’ve since discovered numerous other ways to help curb the intense stress that I still experience now and again and here they are.
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Creating YouTube Videos
Ok, preparing for filming and editing videos can take AAAAAGGGGGESS…
BUT, hear me out…
You can opt for making super simple videos. A lot of people these days have channels dedicated to Tarot readings where they only ever show their hands, or they record their voice and give advice on social matters such as Narcissism, dealing with anxiety, or self-care.
Videos such as these don’t require an appearance from you (so you never have to fix your hair or apply makeup before sitting down to film) and so they can be filmed and edited a lot faster.
You’ll be helping others by sharing valuable information and it can be super cathartic too.
You can also do fun, quick sketches on paper or talk about bullet journalling; both of which usually rack up loads of views on YouTube — and other video apps like Tick Tok.
FYI, you might pick up some trolls in the comments section as you grow your channel (and they can be really anxiety inducing) but don’t feed them and they should eventually get bored and wander off.
Learn About a Topic That Has Always Intrigued You
I’m sure you’ve always had something that you’ve been really interested in, but because of a lack of time or money in the past, you were never really able to learn more about it.
So maybe now’s the time if you’re looking for a new hobby?
This could involve learning about fascinating stuff like geology, fossils, crystals, or dinosaurs, how to grow vegetables, succulent care — anything at all really!
There’s also a lot of cool esoteric stuff out there to explore including things like mediumship, and psychic ability. They might prove to be amazing fun to learn more about and who knows, you might turn out to be a natural if you’re drawn to any of these topics intuitively!
Bake Bread
Of course, you can totally bake pretty much anything else, such as cookies, muffins, and cakes BUT you if you choose ONE THING that you’d like to improve on making, you could become a real pro at it — and friends, family and neighbors alike will flock ‘round to your place often, just to sample your latest creation!
Also, there’s something super comforting about cutting, buttering, and eating bread – maybe the tender squidginess of it?! Or maybe it’s because we associate freshly baked bread with our childhoods… who knows, who cares. It’s just tasty — and super healthy in moderation when baked with the right ingredients.
Collect Something
Anything!
It could be stamps from days gone by or it could be creating a beautiful fossil or crystal collection and assembling your finds in a gorgeous, hand made display cabinet.
Coppermoon Boutique make some utterly stunning hand made shelves and cases to store collectables in. I’m not an affiliate, I just think they look deliciously witchy.
Knit Some Clothes for Your Pet
Cats might not enjoy wearing jumpers. Mine sure as heck wouldn’t!
BUT some kinda love it! Or they they look like they love it — or put up with it for us, at least.
And most look hella cute when wearing various little knitted jackets and jumpers!
Do Some Gardening
Gardening is infinitely soothing because you’re outdoors, in the fresh air and (hopefully) sunshine and you’re working directly with nature. If your bare feet or bare hands are touching the dirt you’re also grounding yourself at the same time.
And grounding has a ton of health benefits.
It doesn’t have to be in your back yard, either. You might like to tidy up and plant some new flowers in your front yard — if you have one!
My front yard is usually a mess but I know that if I ever focused on making it look good, I could do it, and it would feel fabulous to admire it once it was done!
Photograph Stuff
There’s something particularly soothing about photography.
You take a snapshot and you can instantly create something beautiful that you can treasure for years if not decades to come. It’s magical. Playing around with all the settings on the camera, in a photo editing program can also produce some really amazing results in an instant.
You might like to niche down and learn how to take flat lay photos. Flat lays are super easy to create and SO much fun! Plus, all you need to do, is set up the camera on a table, add a background and find some objects around your home which look nice to assemble in a cool way and photograph.
You can play around with the objects you’re photographing and make some images primarily pink, blue, or cream, etc.
You can also easily edit them in the Adobe Lightroom app.
There are tonnes of pre-sets online that you can download and use for free or you can also buy some on Etsy and other places on the net to make your images really pop and look pro.
You can then use the images on your blog, upload them to Instagram, or use them for other personal projects including framing them and hanging them up around your home!
You can even open an Etsy or Shopify store and sell them!
Meditate
You’ve heard this one before. Surely…
And I know mentioning it here again will probably prompt you to think that this is a lazy suggestion but honestly, it isn’t.
It definitely isn’t only for hippies or drum-circle-playing New Agers — like me!
Meditation is simply AMAZING. The health benefits, both physical and mental, are genuine.
It’s also free, easy to carry out, and if you need help on how to meditate properly and successfully, there are videos on YouTube that can show you how and offer guided meditations — for free!
Learn How to Read Tarot Cards
And give yourself some readings!
Sometimes there’s nothing that I enjoy more than playing a soothing track in the background like this one by Magnetic Minds (I promise it’s total magic), get my John Holland Oracle cards out and do some spreads for myself.
Although in all honestly, it really doesn’t have to be Tarot.
Tarot is just one form of divination — there are so many other forms. You could also learn how to read rune stones, tea leaves (Tasseography), crystal gazing, mirror scrying and so much more.
Crafting
This may seem like an obvious one but crafting is probably on the same list of self-soothing activities as long hot baths or strolls in the sunshine.
It’s just SO calming.
When you’re making something from scratch, your mind focuses almost completely on the task at hand and everything just sort of fades away in the background.
There are also loads of free printables you can download online to make things like door signs, wall art, and stickers.
Have you got any favorite hobbies at the moment? Let me know down below in the comment section! I always love hearing other people’s suggestions!