What hobbies of yours have benefited your mental health the most?

[Bearthewear]

I would say walking , always feel better after a walk.

Cycling

Open-air swimming.

Filling up bird feeders and going out at dusk to leave cat food and water out for hedgehogs.
Some are waking up now which is bad news as there isn’t much if any, natural food around so any help we can offer is the difference between life and death.
Really worth following @hedgehogcabin on Twitter and google her excellent website.

Yoga and knitting

Walking.
Planting but not heavy gardening.
Music

Cold water swimming. Any swimming actually but outdoors.
Playing piano.
Shared meals with friends.
Church.

The gym and home cross trainer!

Running

Running and hiking. I basically need exercise AND fresh air.

Knitting, singing, music generally, cycling, swimming.

Gardening
Crochet
Walking the dog
Cooking
Watching old favourite tv series

Sea-swimming and trail running saved my mental health this year.

Yoga and adult education classes. The first brings a feeling of knowing the power and calm of my own body, and the second does the same for my mind.

Walking (especially with dogs)
I was told at 11 by a kindly art teacher ‘you’ll never make an artist’. I believed him. About 60 years later, I decided to try and learn to draw. Lockdown helped because I had time on my own. I’m drawing and painting most afternoons. I’m finding maybe I’ll never make an artist but I’m enjoying getting lost in trying

Listening to true crime podcasts whilst colouring in.

Peloton, cooking, watching dogs in the park - or borrowing them for a few days!

It’s all I have since my main hobby of shopping and getting my eyebrows done was taken away

WI - meetings (over zoom) have been varied and interesting. Also groups I’ve have joined associated with WI - book club for example, great group of people.

Outdoor activity... any outdoor activity, and MN.

Choir and running.

Walking (especially with a dog), running, cycling, swimming, yoga.

Running, outdoors never on a treadmill. Cycling as well, and swimming, but mostly running

Walking
Punch needle.

Bare knuckle fighting.

I have found sewing very relaxing - you really have to concentrate otherwise it goes wrong. Rush it and it goes wrong. Don’t measure it properly and it goes wrong. Don’t read the instructions and it agora wrong. You get the idea! But the pleasure when it goes right is amazing. And you (or at least I!) can’t do it without paying complete attention

Plus lots of incidental shopping opportunities for notions and fabric and bits and bobs.

Knitting and painting.

Knitting for the rhythm of it and it's just distracting enough (the counting!) to keep my mind on it and not let it run away on its own thoughts. Painting because I'm quite bad at it (still!) and so needs lots of concentration to get it right. My dd1 is at Art School and has been helping me but I can't see me following in her footsteps!

I'm disabled, my mobility is badly affected so even going for a short walk is a struggle. I used to find running helpful. I'm setting myself a goal of being able to walk round my housing estate by December, and I can already manage a little bit. When I'm concentrating on not falling over (I clinically have no balance at all!) I can't worry about anything else!.

These are my suggestions.