Readers share role of hobbies In improving mental health during stressful times

It isnrsquot unusual to hear of people picking up new hobbies during the pandemic As per actor Kareena Kapoorrsquos recent posts her son Taimur has developed a penchant for baking and gardening ldquoGardening cooking or artbased activities compel you to use multiple senses at once while being present in the moment And so they serve as informal mindfulness exercisesrdquo says Dr Nahid Dave a psychiatrist at Thought MattersThe best way to relaxldquoWhen most people take a break they either spend their time on the phone or a gadget or doing nothing This creates a sense of aimlessness Hobbies on the other hand mentally cut you off from your regular routine They also give you a mild dopamine high Unlike bingewatching or addictions this high can be sustained and replicatedrdquo Dr Dave points outTaimur Ali Khan Pataudi was spotted gardening and baking on social media PicInstagramJoydeep Mondal a 32yearold Goregaonbased architect who discovered his love for birding from his balcony says ldquoWhen you look at wildlife in its natural habitat you are sharing a part of that animalrsquos day Special moments such as the interaction of two birds or the inflow of migratory birds with the changing weather are exciting I spend my day working on my laptop these little breaks create room for new thoughts and ideasrdquoRuchika Beri discovered her love for doodling last yearReducing anxietyldquoWhen we feel anxious our thoughts are usually scattered around future events We worry by coming up with negative scenarios based on these events This makes us feel unsafe Sensory grounding techniques can bring us back to the present moment and reestablish contact with safetyrdquo explains psychologist Priyanka Bajaria Activities such as gardening and cooking can serve as grounding techniquesJoydeep MondalFor 35yearold Ruchika Beri her bustling WFH routine proved to be a source of stress ldquoI have to take a lot of work calls and my work is spread across four time zones I began to experience stress anxiety and sleep disturbances I took up doodling to increase my focus This activity takes my mind off stressorsrdquo says the Santacruz resident She also began to bake as a creative outlet and says that the joy of executing new recipes was a moodlifterAnkit DoshiDr Dave warns against focusing on the outcome to the extent that you stop enjoying the process Ankit Doshi a 35yearold Matungabased entrepreneur echoes her thoughts ldquoI took up gardening and it has instilled patience in me You canrsquot control when your plants will bloom or how quickly they will grow I have learned to take ups and downs in my stride and live in the moment every dayrdquo