Your mobile phone is ringing all day, your boss is talking about deadlines, your friends are chasing you to meet up, its your turn to cook dinner. It is difficult to be all things to all people and life is hectic despite our best intentions. Stress and anxiety are everywhere. The best we can hope to do is manage these.
Creative outlets are important to find life balance and this can improve brain function, physical health and mental health. After all, a healthy mind is a healthy body. Perhaps you crave a little creativity in your life or a new hobby to help you destress? We’ve found some local creative outlets for you to try out.
Strong by Zumba
Donabate
This weekly fun fitness dance class is hosted in Donabate Portrane Community Centre and is the perfect fitness and social outlet. As well as toning your body and improving coordination (bye bye 2 left feet!!), this weekly distraction from the daily grind is a great way to relieve stress and is effective in reducing fatigue. Oh, and let’s not forget the happy endorphins which trigger positive feelings!
Golf
Donabate
Golf is a sport that enables players to experience mind and body benefits and could help you to live longer too – the low risk of injury probably helps with this! Regular playing is a natural anti-depressant that works the body and mind. Simply being physically active has a huge effect on your mindset. Golf courses are usually enjoyed in beautiful settings and get you out in nature, which in itself reduces stress and anxiety. While easy to learn and difficult to master, golf is definitely a creative outlet worth exploring and there are quite a few golf courses in Donabate alone – Island Golf Club, Balcarrick Golf Club, Donabate Golf Club, Beaverstown Golf Club and Corballis Links golf club.
Karen Wilson Art
Skerries
Art as a creative outlet focuses the mind reducing anxiety and boosting your overall mood – all good for positive mental health. This art studio offers classes and workshops and both are delivered in a fun and relaxed atmosphere with plenty of hands on help. Painting is a great way to get lost in your own flow and repetitive creative motions activate your flow helping you to immerse yourself completely in to the activity at hand.
Beach Walk
Rush/ Donabate/ Portrane
Nothing blows the cobwebs and clears the mind better than a beach walk and there are no opening or closed times limiting your access! The major benefit of hitting the beach is stress relief. Rush harbour divides Rush’s lengthy North Beach and South beach. The South Beach’s strong tides and winds make it a hotspot for kite surfers while its sand dunes provide great fun.
Portrane and Donabate have equally beautiful beaches a short distance from each with the main difference being Donabate is the more sheltered of the two. Get creative and explore the picturesque cliff walk – stroll from Donabate village and instead of turning right onto the beach, turn left and from there you can wander along what is called the Cliff Walk bringing you to Martello tower in Portrane.
Sailing
Rush
Sailing is not only beneficial for the body but for the mind and soul as well. Rush Sailing Club invite you to join them and try out water sports that include sailing and also extend to motor boating, rowing, diving and kayaking – plenty to try your hand at! If you’re a beginner, fear not as the club also offer regular courses for beginners. Whether you’re a pro or a beginner, being part of a club gives a sense of community and this positively impacts mental health.
Yoga & Pilates
Lusk
Yoga is a mind body practice that almost anyone can do. It not only works on your physical health but on your breathing and meditation also and combined, yoga promotes peacefulness of body and mind. It is proven to reduce stress as it allows you to take a moment away from the craziness of everyday life to re-centre your focus and relax.
Regular creative activities can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety and your overall mental health and well-being. Every person has different interests and abilities and its simply a case of finding something that works for you and makes you feel good. This World Mental health Week try something new!