Adjusting to the new ‘normal’
Hello!
I can see that my last post was back in February – how time has flown! I hope you are all safe, well and coping?
My husband was quite poorly over Christmas through to the end of February and just when we thought work life was getting back on track, the Coronavirus struck and the nation was put into lockdown. To be honest, it’s taking me some time to get used to what seems to now be our new ‘normal’, as I’m sure it its for many thousands of others. Still, we need to keep ourselves safe, active and sane.
With all of that in mind I am going to be creating some online tutorials – which will of course be free – the first of which should be up and running by Wednesday of next week. I must however point out that I am not a professional videographer, or YouTuber. Nor am I uber technical so this is all proving to be another huge learning curve for me though I hope whatever I produce gives you some enjoyment and helps you get creative.
To kickstart us off I will be reading you all a little story on my new (literally just registered) YouTube channel. Now, before you wonder what on earth I’m going to be playing at by telling you a story I need you to trust me, there is a point to it, honest 😉
I’ll send the link to you all once its been uploaded – which seems to take an awfully long time for some reason but this could be my limited technical know-how!😕.
In the meantime you might be interested in this snippet from an article I found online about how various creative activities can help our overall well being. You can read the full article here
Dancing and singing a happy tune with your loved ones can boost your mental health.
Photo by fizkes on Shutterstock
Arts and crafts
Painting, sculpting, knitting and crocheting are all crafts that help boost your mood.
Photo by Budimir Jevtic on Shutterstock
Arts and crafts time with your kids (or diving into a new hobby such as quilting on your own) can do wonders for your mental health, according to several studies.
In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, 658 students were asked to keep diaries over the span of 13 days. The students documented their mental states during various crafting activities including painting, sculpting, knitting, scrapbooking, sewing, and crocheting.
Participants who engaged in creative activities were:
- more enthusiastic about returning to that activity on another day
- experienced a positive mood boost during their craft activity
- felt inspired to be productive and creative in other ways
Until next week, enjoy this beautiful weather but Stay Home and Stay Safe.
Vanessa x
