Children are not the only ones who need creativity. Adults would have been more useful if they use activities with more imagination and improvisation. Numerous studies have shown that creativity has a positive influence on our physical and mental health.
Which creative activities can improve your health
1. Keep your private diary
Stress is an everyday occurrence in our life, it increase the hormone cortisol which is damaging the immune system and over time can cause a series of health problems. One study published in British Journal of Health Psychology found that writing about emotions reduces the level of cortisol in the body. It especially helps people who suffer from a psychological trauma. Many studies have shown that people who keep a diary have better sleep, improved mood and heal faster.
2. Read books that are challenging for you
Did you know that reading books that are challenging for you are very useful for your brain and mental health? The results from the brain scans showed that “difficult” books to read, prose and poetry, indicate more brain activity than those “lighter” books.
3. Poetry is balm for the soul
Poetry reading increases the activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, the area associated with autobiographical memory. Poetry helps to look at our own experience and compare them with what we read.
“Poetry is not just a matter of style, but deep version of experience in which the emotional and personal is added to the cognitive,” said Professor Philip Davies of the University of Liverpool in one of his study.
There is evidence that poetry influences the brain in the same way as music. You know the feeling of connecting with a song when you hear it for the first time?
4. Have a hobby
Whether you are painting, knitting or making souvenirs, hand-made activities are deeply relaxing for the body and positively influence on coping with stress. These activities have meaning of self-expression, improvisation and creative problem solving in a creative way. Building, sewing, knitting, gardening are useful for the human psyche, these and other similar activities act as natural antidepressants.