By Chantal Tellier
Experiencing stress over an extended period can lead to higher anxiety levels, physical symptoms, and even depression, but there are ways to manage stress that have proven health benefits
When you have work, overtime, household chores, medical appoint- ments, and more to cope with, it often seems as if there just aren’t enough hours in the day and there’s certainly no time for recreation. And yet, if you don’t make time to take care of yourself, stress and anxiety will eventually rear their ugly heads.
It’s important to listen to your body and take breaks from your hectic life to indulge in activities that allow you to escape from work or worries—in other words, to disconnect. Choosing activities doesn’t have to be complicated. You can visit a museum one day and have coffee with a friend the next. It’s your time, so do whatever makes you happy. Some activities, however, offer benefits that have been documented by science. Here are a few of them.
Bibliotherapy
When you’re dealing with something like anxiety, depression, or grief, it can be difficult to find meaning in what’s happening, especially if it’s a new experience. “Bibliotherapy— using books to facilitate the healing process—can be very useful in such cases,” says bibliotherapist Katy Roy. Fiction that features characters who are going through the same thing you are can help you see more clearly and offer comfort. “A bibliotherapist can also suggest a book that doesn’t have a direct connection with the situation a person is facing but that will still lead them to see things from a new perspective, to broaden their world view,” Roy says.
What you need: Books!
Benefits: Bibliotherapy helps you to better understand the challenges you’re facing and to develop strategies to deal with them. It can also help you develop problem-solving, understanding, and self-awareness. Reading facilitates identifying your emotions and accessing your unconscious through imagination and symbolism. Used in group therapy, bibliotherapy encourages deeper conversations, builds connections, and allows participants to improve communication.
Prerequisites: Although bibliotherapy can benefit people of all ages with a wide range of needs, it will be effective only if you’re ready to read and share your thoughts.
Good to know: Bibliotherapy isn’t rec- ommended for people who are un- able to distinguish between the real and the imaginary, who have a limited attention span, or who don’t enjoy reading.
Resources: Bibliotherapy Interest Group (BIG); booktherapy.io
Knitting
When you think of knitting, you may picture an elderly woman in a rocking chair knitting a pair of slippers, but the pastime is gaining popularity with people of all ages. The British Olympic diver Tom Daley made it trendy in 2020, when he was photographed knitting during the Tokyo Olympic Games. His Instagram account dedicated to his creations has 1.3 million followers.
What you need: A certain amount of manual dexterity.
Benefits: When you start learning to knit, getting the stitches right takes so much concentration that there’s no room in your brain for thinking about your problems; this helps to silence your inner monologue. Knitting reduces stress and, because of its hypnotic effect, is a bit like meditation in that it roots you in the present moment. It can even slow your breathing and lower your heart rate. Experienced knitters can listen to music or talk while they’re wielding their needles and yarn.
“Knitting also improves cognitive function by mobilizing math and 3-D visualization skills,” says Nathalie Desmarais, executive director of Santé mentale Québec (“Mental Health Quebec”)–Pierre-De Saurel. “It boosts self-confidence and leads to a sense of accomplishment when you see your work advancing, share knowledge with other people, and see something you made serving people in need, as participants do at workshops where they make scarves, toques, and mittens for the homeless.”
Good to know: You can knit on your own or as part of a group.
Resources: Just type “knitting group” and the name of your city in a search engine to find a group that would be happy to welcome you.
Music Therapy
Who hasn’t cried their eyes out listening to a song after a heartbreak or danced in their living room to some lively music? The power of melody and rhythm is real—this helps explain the effects of music therapy, which uses music to help people improve their mental health and well-being.
“Participants can play a role in creating the music or simply listen to music,” says music therapist Vicky Levasseur. “Some therapists use a combined approach that involves both active and passive interactions with music.”
When you work with a music therapist, you start by identifying your goals. For example, if you’re experiencing depression, you may want to use music to improve your mood. You can also try applying music therapy to other symptoms of depression, such as anxiety, insomnia, or difficulty concentrating.
What you need: You don’t need musical talent, but you do need to love music. Musical instruments are usually provided by the music therapist.
Benefits: “Singing helps with the development of rhythm and breath control and allows you to express emotions,” Levasseur says. Playing an instrument improves coordination. Composing music or writing songs can make it easier to share feelings, such as for patients with a terminal illness. “Playing music can activate the parts of the brain that affect memory, emotions, movement, and sensation,” she adds.
Good to know: Music therapy is often one on one, but you can also do it as part of a group.
Resources: Canadian Music Therapy Podcast
Forest Bathing
Can nature speak to us? Shinrin-yoku, a term popularized in Japan in 1982, is a practice that encourages people to spend time in nature to experience the present moment while immersing their senses in the sights and sounds of a natural environment.
Once you’re at the nature space, turn off or silence your phone. Take a few deep breaths and get centred. Focus on what your senses are perceiving, whether it’s the freshness of the clean air or the sound of birdsong. You can walk slowly, with no particular destination in mind, or sit and watch the leaves swaying in the wind. Just relax.
What you need: The right clothing for the season, comfortable walking shoes, a bottle of water, and sun- screen. Access to walking trails or botanical gardens.
Benefits: Dr. Louis Bherer, a neuropsychologist and professor in the Department of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, and a team of researchers from the Montreal Heart Institute conducted an extensive review of the scientific literature on the benefits of time spent in nature. They concluded that it lowers blood pressure, heart rate, and the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. It also reduces anxiety and depression and boosts mood and vitality. Just spend- ing 10, 20, or 30 minutes a day outdoors can be beneficial.
By the way, in Canada, doctors can even write you a prescription for fresh air through the PaRx program. Ask your doctor for more information.
Good to know: Although the word “forest” is in the name of this practice, you don’t have to go to a heavily wooded area. You can head to a neighbourhood park, a city beach, or any other natural setting.
Resources: PaRx
Ready, Set, Enjoy!
Whether you play music, read, knit, or walk in the woods as a form of therapy or simply as recreation, there are benefits. These activities all have a positive effect on physical and mental health, and they greatly improve quality of life. Your problems won’t magically disappear, but these activities will definitely help you deal with them more effectively.
