Therapeutic Hobbies That Cost Less Than Your Psychologist

*Guest Post Written by SL Thomas of http://BeautyBiche.com
Founder of https://TheBICHE.com "The Beauties In Color Here Everyday"
Instagram: iamslthomas*

There's no shame in admitting that we don’t feel our best 24-7. Some days we are excited to get up and start the day and other days we can feel our energy level and ability to smile more difficult than it seems. “Smile, it isn’t that bad” someone says. All you're thinking is, 'How can I smile when life keeps throwing me monkey wrenches?' But guess what? Those people are correct. Life really isn't that bad when you think about it because every circumstance is temporary.

After reading multiple self-help articles and quick therapy sessions with psychologists in the office break rooms, I've learned that the best form of therapy is engaging in hobbies that you love. When you do what you love, it takes your mind off of the areas of life that cannot be controlled. That being said here are my top 4 endorphin releasing hobbies that could almost count as therapy.


Jogging
The best thing about jogging is that you're actually outside. So many people will opt into running indoors on a treadmill but honestly jogging outside is way better.
First off, the feeling of the wind blowing on your skin is much more delightful than a steady flow of moist air in the gym. In the gym, you have to contend with unpleasant body odors and that awful feeling of knowing that if you don't wipe down the equipment with an antibacterial wipe before using it, you can possibly contract a bacterial infection. 

Yuck!

The second thing about jogging outside is once you set your pace you start to actually breathe. When Which means that you are inhaling the gratitude of life itself and exhaling the irrelevant factors that do not contribute to your overall happiness.
Lastly, once you've increased your oxygen levels by taking large, steady breaths, you feel relieved and happy. You look back only to see how far you have gone and look forward to see how far you can go. These moments are exhilarating! Soon you'll realize that you got this.


Skating
Do you remember being a child skating around your neighborhood or even at the local skating rink? Remember how good it felt to just roll around on the pavement or even the glossy hardwood floors with a full smile planted on your face because you finally balanced yourself enough to turn a corner without falling. The amount of momentum and speed that you could pick up made you want to go even faster.  The risk of tripping and falling was totally worth it. Yes, you were a little frustrated when you did fall but you got up and kept going only to start chuckling underneath your breath as you sped away.
Now imagine doing that as an adult. You’ve had a long and stressful day of catering to others but when you skate all of the anxiety, stress and even the feeling of being a little bit more overweight at this age doesn’t matter. You’re happy, you’re smiling and you’re simply enjoying yourself. I swear it is worth every minute of happiness you may be missing out on.

Not ready to take that chance on rollerskating, that's ok..but you have to eat so try cooking.

Cooking
Good cook, bad cook or mediocre cook. No matter your skill level this therapeutic activity from start to finish will make you wonder why you never thought to do this all along.
Depending on what you are creating the meal prep can be 10 minutes which means that whatever was bothering you will be thought about while you're chopping and measuring.
The second part is the actual cooking which will take you about 20-30 minutes. During those 20-30 minutes, your mind is clear, you've stopped worrying about what happened in the past and what could happen tomorrow. You are focused on the dish itself and you're liking every minute of it. You may even get spontaneous and start to post photos and videos to your Instagram Story because you are so proud of yourself and your new creation.
Once your meal is completed, you inhale the great aroma, and exhale because your dish came out amazing (even if it didn't). You can look down and smile because you created something that will nourish you from within.


Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga)
This form of yoga is best for those looking to clear their mind, sweat like a leaky faucet, and lose weight. I for one wanted to experience all the benefits of hot yoga 4 years ago and have been going ever since. Bikram Yoga is a form of yoga that involves breathing, stretching both internal and external muscles over the course of 60 or 90 minutes. During that time you guided to do 26 different poses in a 90 or 105-degree room. Yes, that is hot but the instructors emphasize the fact that because the temperature in the room allows for more concentration and flexibility.

The most important part of the entire Bikram yoga class is breathing. If you are not breathing properly, you are not getting the full benefits of the class and you can overheat yourself. The instructors advise you not to leave but to breath. Breathing allows for you to exhale the outside stressors and inhale life and it's many beginnings. You can mentally feel yourself escaping from what happened earlier that day, week or even that month and start to feel at ease. Pose by pose each stressor is being removed as happiness and determination to execute each pose starts to set in. Once the session is over you feel relieved. You feel whole and for the next few days, nothing bothers you. I can honestly say that out of all of the therapeutic activities that release endorphins, this one is my favorite.

There are many of other endorphin releasing therapeutic activities that will get you happy but those are my top 4.  Feel free to explore other hobbies and find one that transforms your emotional state.

Written by SL Thomas of http://BeautyBiche.com
Founder of https://TheBICHE.com "The Beauties In Color Here Everyday"
Instagram: iamslthomas
Facebook: Beauty Biche