Creative Stress Relief Activities
In this article, we will explore the source of negative emotions. With our six simple and fun exercises, we will help you transform your negative emotions, improve your ability to heal, and introduce new perspectives.
Where do negative emotions come from?
Negative emotions can be triggered by many things. Each time, the cause and the depth of your negative emotions may also differ.
When we feel unhappy, it could be triggered by something small; it could be caused by tensions between two people; it could be due to work and financial pressures; or it could be a physical ailment. When the body feels unwell, it can cause negative emotions to arise. When we ignore those feelings for a long time and don’t face it properly, it becomes harder for things to be fully resolved. Feelings of melancholy and unhappiness can increase, affecting your day-to-day lives.
Examples of negative emotions & impacts:
Disorganized and anxious state of mind: When we get busy, our mental state is often in a state of disorganization. One small matter going awry can leave you irritated and frustrated for an entire day, affecting both yourself and those around you.
Lack of empathy and miscommunication: When interacting with others, due to an inability or unwillingness to understand each other, miscommunications can occur. This can strain relationships and cause unneeded tensions.
Comparing mentality and lack of confidence: We often fall into the comparison trap when scrolling through social media, buying into the superficial and meticulously ‘curated’ lives, and undervaluing that which we have.
In the past, talking about negative emotions was taboo, as if having negative emotions meant you were mentally ill. We hope by sharing our experiences, we can encourage more people to face their negative emotions, and that conversations about mental wellness and self healing will be more widely accepted.
The first step to improving your mental health is to re-establish your perspective of negative emotions:
It’s normal to feel unhappy, frustrated, sad; We all experience negative emotions at some points in our lives.
So how can we deal with our negative emotions?
Acceptance is the first step. When you feel a negative emotion coming up, acknowledge its existence without judgement. Accept the feelings calmly, and tell yourself:
I’m feeling unhappy, but it’s totally normal. I accept my current state.
Then, try to improve your situation in a way that can be helpful to yourself, it could be grabbing a cup of tea, doing an activity that you enjoy, or even just finishing an errand you planned for the day! Practice this thought technique often, and embark on your journey of self-love.
Creative Stress Relief Activities
Rather than viewing these techniques as a way to face negative emotions, I like to think of them as time for “self-relaxation and healing activities.” I will first create a personal space, and then pick an activity that fits my current mood.
Try the following methods according to your own preferences!
1. Painting Therapy
When I first started facing negative emotions years ago, I suddenly remembered my passion towards painting and music. Taking a day off, I walked to the art-supply store, and browsed the shelves filled with rows and rows of colorful paints. After selecting my paints, easel, and canvas, I headed home to get started.
When painting, I like to create a nice ambience to help me get into flow. I like to pour myself a nice glass of wine before letting my emotions pour out onto the canvas. With my favorite songs playing in the background, I create. Sometimes, I’d be painting and suddenly feel tears streaming down my face -- another time, I fell asleep on the floor halfway through the session. Anything can happen during these painting sessions and it’s ok!
For people who like colors, healing can begin from the moment they step into the art store. As for what to paint? It’s entirely up to you! Don’t stress about the subject, theme, or making the perfect painting -- enjoying the process is all that matters. If you’re not a painter, pottery-making is also another great way to calm our souls.
Everyone processes emotions differently, and paint therapy helps visualize the process. Looking back at the paintings, they seemed to record my entire healing process.
(An extended reading How To Meditate: Meditation Techniques for Beginners)
2. Stretch and Practice Yoga
Yoga is another daily practice that allows me to reconnect with my body.
“How are you doing lately?”
“I feel really pressured...and my shoulders are always tight.”
I’m not a professional yoga teacher, nor do I know many advanced yoga poses. For me, practicing yoga is a way to ‘live in sync with the body.’ Whether it’s the feeling of muscles relaxing during yoga practice, or the minor pain felt during stretching to improve one’s flexibility, yoga can help us learn to live more in the moment.
If you feel negative emotions coming up, wrap your hands around your body and give yourself a tender hug. You can even Light some candles or incense sticks, and calmly lay your yoga mat on the floor. Start with some simple movements like turning your head, pulling your arms, and practicing habitual stretching exercises. Remember to breathe, and you’ll notice your heart gradually slowing down and returning to a calmer state.
Feel free to search keywords like “Relaxing Stretching Routine” on Youtube, you’ll find a lot of useful videos that’ll actually help you.
Experience through Soul Barn: Yoga & Meditation Retreats
3. Dance!
Have you ever sung in the shower? Danced when you were alone in the room? Remember how fun it was?
Dance therapy is also one of my favorite home activities.It doesn’t matter if it’s a stress releasing wild dance or a modern slow dance that moves with the music -- no one is there to judge you. Play your favorite songs and let loose!
After a good dance session, remember to rehydrate with a glass of water, and take a well-deserved, relaxing shower!
A song I recommend for slow dance and healing:
4. Plant Therapy
“Plants Are Healers. They can help open our hearts, reconnect with our spirit, and guide us in developing respectful and joyful relationships with the natural world.” - Deb Soule
Have you ever gone to the park or sat in a forest when feeling stressed? No matter how frustrated you are, when you look out into the vast greenness of the wilderness or up at the clear sky, you actually start feeling less tired.
If you are a beginner, we recommend starting out with some local plants that are suitable to grow in Taiwan: Bird of Paradise, Ficus Lutea, and Tiger Orchid to name a few.
A good tip is to water plants in the morning. Before doing so, check the moisture level of your plants to see if they need to be watered. Depending on the plant, you may also need to apply fertilizer every 2-3 months.
Try planting some potted plants at home! By adding a bit of greenery, you will start feeling better before you know it :)
5. Connect with Nature
I love walking barefoot. Ever since I was a kid, I loved taking off my shoes during PE class. Sometimes, when it rains in the city, I’ll take off my shoes and opt to walk barefoot instead. Later on, I learned that this is a technique called earthing.
Walking barefoot always made me feel like I was being gently embraced by mother nature while she reassured me all is good.
When negative emotions appear, I tend to go for a walk in the suburbs or a park. If it is a sunny day, I’ll pick a spot, and stand tall, with my palms facing up. Feeling the sunlight flowing into my body through my palms, I can feel my body being purified by the sunlight. I take a few deep breaths and exhale to let out the negative energy. This is an effective technique that calls on you to use your imagination and truly feel yourself healing.
6. Therapeutic Mobile Games
One day I found an interesting discovery -- it was a mobile game that can help alleviate depression and anxiety: My Oasis
Developed by a South Korean gaming company, the mobile game focuses on individuals creating their own island oasis while taking care of cute island creatures, and experiencing the changes of the virtual world throughout the four seasons.
My Oasis, unlike other mobile games, wasn’t designed to be addictive. Each aspect of the game helps to reduce players' stress and enhance their enjoyment. There isn’t any pressure to upgrade or spend money, and the gameplay is easy and not compulsive. Most importantly, during gameplay, encouraging messages promoting self-healing and self-love often pop-up.
7. Read
Enjoying a cup of hot tea and a good book on my sofa is one of my favorite things to do -- especially when feeling upset or frustrated. Reading always had the ability to teleport me to another world, and accompany on my journeys for knowledge or recuperation.it also allows me to look at life from different perspectives and lenses, helping me to tackle my own problems in a different manner or more creatively.
Here are a few books that have helped me:
1) An Introduction to self-healing: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond yourself
Highly recommended by Oprah, this book is a preliminary book for self-exploration. The text is easy to read and understand. It can be re-read many times, and you may feel different and gain new insights each time .
2) A warm collection of short poems : Heart Talk by Cleo Wade
A warm collection of short poems that shares the wisdom of life, heartbreak, and healing. The text is simple and eloquent. When reading, it feels as if the poet tenderly embraces you, and I hope it can help heal you as it did for me.
3) Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More
Have you heard of the therapist who cured an entire ward of criminally insane patients without ever meeting them in person? It was made possible with the Ho'oponopono technique.
Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian spiritual practice that seeks to cure your problems through forgiveness & compassion. The practice seeks to guide the practitioner through four steps: repentance, forgiveness, love, and gratitude. By practicing Ho’oponopono, one can see the world more clearly, and while the text in the book can be a bit abstract, it’s definitely worth the read.
The best activity to help you alleviate your stress and negative emotions may differ and change. If you’re unsure of where to start, try asking these yourself these questions and answer from the heart:
What activity will I feel most relaxed doing?
What activity brings me the most joy and happiness?
Pick an activity you’re familiar with first to try from the list above! Or brainstorm activities that bring you joy and relaxation and set aside some time for them. When you feel up to it, challenge yourself and open up your heart to new experiences -- you never know what you’ll find! ;)
Kandee Chen is the Creative Director of Studio Kandee. She can usually be found searching for vintage wares, sitting in quiet cafes, relaxing by the lake, or exploring new places in the city.
Kandee’s Instagram @mysouldairy
Article translate by Helen Luo
