With the seemingly endless hustle and bustle of daily life that most of us experience, sometimes our mental health can be put on the back burner. This is unfortunate because taking care of your mental health is so important for so many different reasons! It can improve your work life, home life, physical health, as well as personal relationships. Of course, self care looks different for everyone and there is no one size fits all. But aside from getting enough sleep and taking adequate time off, there are many different hobbies you can take up that can help improve your mental health. Here are 5.

Yoga

Yoga, pilates, and other variations are very popular for a reason. Aside from having many physical benefits, yoga can also be a great time to meditate and clear your mind. The deep breathing that it forces you to do can help immensely with depression, anxiety, and all sorts of other health issues. Try finding a class in your area and bring along a friend.

Shooting

This one may surprise you but shooting guns can also be a great way to relieve stress and improve your mental health. Consider buying a handgun and learning to shoot it, then taking it out to the shooting range to try it for yourself. Whenever you are using a gun, you should be as safe as possible, but once you know the rules it really can be a lot of fun. Improving your aim and hitting your target for the first time is an exhilarating feeling you have to experience for yourself to believe.

Hiking/Camping

Being out in nature in any way that you can is an excellent way to center yourself, practice mindfulness, do some deep thinking, and overall take care of yourself mentally. No matter where in the world you live, try to find a place where you can get away from cars, people, and noises, and experience the beauty and calmness that nature has to offer. A bonus is that hiking is great exercise too.

Acting

Taking acting classes or even just goofing off and acting with friends can be a really good way to get out of your own head and be someone else for a little while. This can be helpful with depression, anxiety, and also low self-esteem. Acting can help you to get out of your shell and increase your confidence and sense of self-worth. Plus, it can be a blast. Try it yourself to find out!

If your mental health feels like it’s suffering or just needs a little boost, a new hobby may be just the thing you need. Try some of the above and see if they help! You might be pleasantly surprised.