5 Top Hobbies For Those Living With Bipolar Disorder

Hobbies are wonderful coping strategies to help manage the stress of everyday life.

Today, I would like share my favorite top 5 hobbies that can improve your ability to manage your bipolar disorder. I am not saying that these are the only five hobbies that can help benefit you, because obviously there are countless hobbies in the world. However, the hobbies I plan to go over can offer a high positive impact on your mood.

#1 Daily Physical Activity

One of the best ways you can improve both your mental and physical health is to get active. 

Find something that you enjoy doing. You have a higher probability of maintaining an activity long-term if it is something you like doing and enjoy.

As a previous personal trainer, I know there are trainers everywhere pushing cardio workouts and weight training on their clients. If those are not your thing, find an activity that you enjoy. Maybe your thing is swimming, so if it is, then go swimming! If you like running, get out there, and do it. Personally, weight lifting is my favorite. 

As a general rule of thumb, your goal should be to start out at 20 minutes of daily physical activity, for three days each week. From there, gradually work up to 30 minutes each day.

If you like to walk, start by walking 1-2 miles on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Slowly increase the distance and time from there. You will be amazed how quickly physical activity becomes a part of your daily routine.

I love how exercise floods my body with endorphins and other mood-boosting processes. It also raises both serotonin and dopamine levels in the system. See why you feel good instantly after a workout?

#2 Art

Have you ever heard the common sentiment that if you have bipolar disorder you must be an artist, musician, or other creative individual? This is a very common misconception. Yes, there is a high correlation between creativity and bipolar disorder. However, just because you have bipolar disorder does not guarantee that you are creative.

Having said that, art is a wonderful outlet and a great way to channel your energy. Artistic mediums include drawing, painting, scrapbooking, inking, coloring, photography, music, and more.

Personally, I love drawing. When I draw, my mind focuses completely on the project at hand, and all sense of the world melts away from my mind. The experience is meditative and reduces my stress almost instantaneously.

#3 Movies/T.V.

When I watch a movie or T.V. show, the time provides my mind a rest from the outside world. It is a wonderful way to give my brain a break.

I especially enjoy the genre of science fiction. I am literally whisked off to another place and time.

My brain is given a rest break. I focus only on watching the show or movie I choose. I get swept away into the cinematic universe and it allows my mind to decompress.

One note of caution, though: watching the news or certain shows can actually increase stress and anxiety, so just be careful what movies and T.V. you choose to take in.

#4 Outdoor Activity

Outdoor activities include hiking, fishing, skiing, running, rock climbing, taking the kids to the park, skiing, and more. I live in Colorado, so the options are literally limitless! Each new season in Colorado brings a whole new set of outdoor activities to enjoy.

Getting outdoors to enjoy one of Colorado’s many options for activities is a way for me to meditate, in addition to getting some exercise. Both my mind and body become invigorated with the strong surge of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine.

Many outdoor activities are just workouts, in whichever form you choose, completed outside. Some outdoor activities are considered “low-impact,” but the still provide the same meditative and centering effects as the other hobbies on this list.

For example, I enjoy drawing and sketching outside. In this instance, art is considered an outdoor activity. The same reasoning applies to painting and creating any other form of art outdoors. Creating art outside provides you the opportunity to practice your hobby, plus get the added benefit of the sun’s positive energy.

#5 Write/Journal

Journaling and writing are great ways to organize your thoughts and mind. From my experience living with bipolar disorder, I may not have a lot of activity going on around me, but my mind can be racing at a pace of thousands of miles per minute.

The simple act of getting the racing thoughts out of my head and down on paper is very therapeutic. Those racing thoughts and ruminating ideas are released onto the paper (or other digital platform) and no longer take up space in my head. I call it a “brain dump” because it frees up the space inside my mind.

Journaling can come in many forms, but the easiest and quickest way to get started is to just take a pen and piece of paper, and write down what you are thinking, good or bad, and without judgment.

There are countless other hobbies that you can try or others that you may have already adopted. I picked these specific five hobbies because of my personal experience in how they improve my ability to cope with my bipolar symptoms.

Are these the five hobbies you would have picked? Are there any hobbies that you would add or subtract?

Until next time, take care of yourself. 😊