Recreational Therapy For Stress Reduction

Recreational therapy: 11 ways to reduce stress and improve your well-being

Do you feel stressed out by your busy life? Imagine you could transform your worries into fun. Sounds impossible, right? But it’s not. There is a way to use your favourite hobbies and activities to heal your body and mind. It’s called recreational therapy, and it’s more than just playing games. 

Recreational therapy is a science-backed method that can help you overcome challenges and improve your well-being. It is the use of leisure activities to help people with specific health conditions improve their skills, abilities, overall health, and emotional well-being.

In this blog post, we will explore 12 ways that you can use recreational therapy to reduce stress and improve your well-being. Let’s take a ride with me and learn how your Favorite hobby can be a stress-relieving activity for you.

Art therapy

If you enjoy creating or appreciating art, you can use it as a form of recreational therapy to reduce stress. Engaging in arts and crafts activates the relaxation response by focusing attention inward and away from stressful thoughts. 

Art therapy can help you reduce stress by:

• Allowing you to express your feelings and thoughts in a non-verbal way
• Stimulating your imagination and creativity
• Improving your cognitive and motor skills
• Enhancing your mood and emotional regulation
• Providing you with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction

According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, group art therapy reduced acculturative and academic stress in international students.¹ Additionally, engaging in creative activities such as painting, drawing, dance, music, and drama can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in people with dementia.² 

Another study showed that visual art therapy reduces post-traumatic stress disorder in college students.³ Similarly, research published in the International Journal of Art Therapy indicated that People receiving art therapy had low-stress levels, anxiety, anger, and voice hearing.⁴ 

Some artsy stress busters include: 

• Painting, sketching or doodling freely without the pressure of perfectionism
• Crafting like scrapbooking, jewellery or pottery making using hands and creativity
• Creative writing in journals or poetry

Music therapy

Musical activities induce relaxation by slowing heart rate, breathing and brain wave patterns conducive to stress relief. 

Music therapy can help you reduce stress by:

• Relaxing your body and mind
• Eliciting positive emotions and memories
• Reducing your blood pressure and heart rate
• Improving your cognitive and language skills
• Increasing your endorphins and serotonin levels

Research shows that music therapy can be used to treat stress and anxiety in patients for a range of reasons, including cancer treatment, substance abuse, trauma, and daily stress in life.⁵ According to a systematic review, music therapy decreases stress parameters, including stress, anxiety, mental workload, and burnout risk in healthcare workers.⁶

Try these musical relaxations and enjoy:

• Listening to soothing instrumental music genres like classical, jazz or nature sounds
• Learning to play a musical instrument even if just for fun like the ukulele or guitar
• Singing uplifting songs alone or in group choirs and discussing feelings stirred

Exercise 

Another way to toss out your stress is to exercise. Physical movement burns off tension while boosting feel-good endorphins.

Engaging in exercise can help you reduce stress by:

• Releasing your tension and energy
• Strengthening your muscles and bones
• Boosting your immune system and metabolism
• Enhancing your self-image and body confidence
• Improving your cardiovascular and respiratory health

Research shows that engaging in physical activity reduces significant levels of stress.⁷ Furthermore, the practice of physical activity, regardless of the level, is associated with reduced anxiety, stress, and depression in athletic trainers. Walking, in particular, lowers levels of perceived stress and improves well-being.⁸

You can try these fun stress-busting workouts:

• Team sports like volleyball, and basketball with friends for social bonding
• Dance classes that both relax and energize through rhythm and motion
• Outdoor workouts like cycling, and hiking trails while enjoying scenery

Gaming

Competitive yet easygoing games engage minds in a playful therapeutic zone. Casual games trigger the reward centres in the brain to release dopamine that enhances mood and reduces stress perception. 

Game therapy can help you discard your stress by:

• Improving your problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Enhancing your social interaction and communication
• Providing you with a sense of fun and entertainment
• Increasing your self-efficacy and resilience
• Stimulating your brain and memory

Researchers have found that online game-based cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions, such as the REThink game, can effectively reduce distress and improve emotional well-being in college students.⁹ Additionally, the use of video games as therapeutic tools, incorporating archetypal and Jungian therapies, has shown promise in reducing symptoms of PTSD in individuals, particularly children.¹⁰

Consider:

• Strategy games like chess and backgammon that stimulate the brain
• Collaborative puzzles like jigsaws require focus but no pressure
• Lighthearted party games for laughter like Taboo, and Pictionary

And banish the stress monster!

Animal therapy

Interacting, exercising and cuddling with furry animal friends is another way to dump your anxiety and stress. It is proven to lower cortisol levels and boost serotonin/dopamine which alleviates stress and anxiety. 

Animal therapy can help you reduce stress by:

• Reducing your loneliness and isolation
• Increasing your oxytocin and dopamine levels
• Improving your mood and emotional regulation
• Lowering your cortisol and blood pressure levels
• Offering you unconditional love and companionship

An exploratory randomized controlled trial on dog-assisted therapy for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed that animal-assisted therapy with dogs reduced perceived stress and symptoms of agoraphobia, and improved social awareness and communication in adults with ASD.¹¹

You can do these things to relieve your stress:

• Pet your dog/cat while watching TV to instantly relax
• Take your dog for walks/play fetch at the park
• Consider volunteering at a local animal shelter

Dance therapy

Dance therapy is a form of recreational therapy that involves moving your body to music, rhythm, or your expression. 

It can help you reduce stress by:

• Releasing your physical and emotional tension
• Enhancing your creativity and self-expression
• Boosting your energy and vitality
• Developing your confidence and self-esteem
• Improving your balance, coordination, and flexibility

According to research, dance therapy interventions focus on promoting action, separation, strengthening the sense of self, and integration. These interventions involve movement and somatic mirroring, which help you take action, develop autonomy, and integrate various aspects of yourself. The therapeutic relationship formed through dance therapy allows you to feel more confident and self-aware, leading to a reduction in anxiety symptoms, including stress.¹²

Unload your burden by:

• Taking a Zumba, salsa or hip-hop dance class 
• Dancing in your living room to upbeat songs
• Trying traditional folk dances from different cultures

Gardening and spending time in nature

Spending time in natural environments like parks, trails, beaches etc has immense stress-reducing benefits. Being amidst nature allows our minds and bodies to relax. 

Moreover, nurturing plants is therapeutic since it fosters a sense of responsibility, patience and growth. 

It can help you reduce stress by:

• Connecting you with nature and the environment
• Providing you with a sense of satisfaction
• Improving your sensory and motor skills
• Supporting your mental and emotional well-being

A study conducted on U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic suggested that nature contact, especially gardening, could be a beneficial strategy to cope with anxiety and stress.¹³ Furthermore, horticultural therapy also improves physical and psychological functioning, including stress reduction, in psychiatric populations.¹⁴ 

Some easy nature-based activities to liberate yourself from stress are:

• Go for a walk/hike and appreciate your surroundings 
• Have a picnic at the park
• Visit a botanical garden and admire different plants/flowers
• Plant seasonal flowers, herbs, and veggies in your backyard
• Birdwatching, identifying trees/flowers etc can relax the mind

Reading

Reading therapy is a form of recreational therapy that involves reading books, magazines, articles, blogs, etc. 

It can help you reduce stress by:

• Relaxing your body and mind
• Improving your concentration and focus
• Enhancing your imagination and creativity

Research suggests that reading may help protect students from the negative effects of stress.¹⁵ A study showed that story reading led to improvements in mindfulness, optimism, happiness, and positive emotions, and reductions in depression, anxiety, pessimism, and negative emotions in high-school students.¹⁶

For relaxation anywhere:

• Download audiobooks for listening while commuting or chores
• Kindle library or magazines fit easily into any environment 
• Book subscriptions provide consistent new material motivation 

Prescribed "Dose" to receive benefits 

• Aim for 30-minute sessions at least 3 times weekly for impacts 
• Quick reads fit easily into smartphone downtimes throughout the day

Writing

Writing therapy is a form of recreational therapy that involves writing stories, poems, journals, letters, blogs, etc. 

Writing can help you reduce stress by:

• Allowing you to express your thoughts and feelings
• Improving your writing and communication skills
• Enhancing your self-awareness and reflection
• Providing you with a sense of purpose and meaning
• Helping you cope with your emotions and experiences

A study indicated expressive writing resulted in lower levels of psychological stress and improved mental well-being during Covid-19.¹⁷ Similarly, gratitude writing is effective in dealing with stress during uncertain times.¹⁸

Release your stress by:

• Write a letter to your future self, expressing your hopes, dreams, and goals
• Write a gratitude journal, listing three things you are thankful for each day
• Writing a poem or a song to express your emotions

Meditation and yoga

Mind-body practices calm minds through a focus on breath and stillness. Meditation therapy involves practising mindfulness, breathing, relaxation, or other techniques that can help you reduce stress by:

• Calming your nervous system and mind
• Increasing your awareness and attention
• Developing your inner peace and happiness
• Reducing your negative thoughts and emotions
• Enhancing your mental and emotional well-being

A clinical trial conducted on healthcare workers showed that yoga and mindfulness are beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety.¹⁹ Another review article discussed the benefits of mindfulness interventions and showed that it is one of the effective ways to reduce stress and avoid burnout.²⁰

Some easy ways are:

• Practice mindful breathing, focusing on the sensations of your inhalation and exhalation
• Practice yoga poses, such as child’s pose, tree pose, and warrior pose, and notice how they affect your body and mind
• Practice meditation, using a mantra, guided imagery, or a sound to anchor your attention

Cooking and baking

Being in the kitchen allows us to focus on the rhythmic, mindful process of food preparation using our senses. Eating healthy home-cooked meals also nourishes our minds and bodies.

Cooking and baking can help you reduce stress by:

• Giving you a sense of control and accomplishment
• Enhancing your creativity and self-expression
• Developing your skills and knowledge

A study found that people who cooked during lockdown reported both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Hedonic well-being refers to happiness and relaxation. Eudaimonic well-being refers to feelings of accomplishment and growth. The researchers suggest that cooking provided a way for people to cope with the stress and isolation of lockdown. They also found that cooking helped people to connect with others and learn new skills.²¹

Toss your stress with these easy ways:

• Follow recipes for comfort foods like soups, pasta, baking etc
• Involve family/friends in cooking sessions for bonding
• Experiment with cuisines from different cultures

FAQs

How do recreational activities reduce stress? 

They take your mind off worries and relax your mind and body.

What is the role of recreational therapy?

They help people improve their health and well-being through fun activities.

What are the most common recreational therapy activities? 

Art, music, cooking, games, nature activities, exercise like yoga.

What are recreational activities for psychiatric patients?

Activities that reduce anxiety and lift mood like crafts, pets, and exercise.

What are the techniques of recreational therapy? 

Relaxation, creative arts, social activities, leisure education, adaptive sports.

Summary

Recreational therapies offer engaging stress-busters blending enjoyment with physiological and psychological benefits. Finding activities aligning personal interests promotes adherence yielding ongoing relaxation rewards versus short-term fixes. While stress remains inevitable, these fun hobbies lift spirits enough to better handle daily demands. Life balance nurturing mind, body and soul through recreation makes stress more manageable in a sustainable way.