Art, in its many forms, is a balm for idle hands and anxious minds. Whether you’re bored at home right now, or super busy—spread thin juggling working while having the kids home from school—you deserve some you-time. These fun, stress-relieving activities are an ideal way to bring yourself some peace and indulge your creative side. 
Taking a quick walk around your neighborhood is one outdoor pleasure that’s still available during coronavirus social distancing. On these walks you no doubt have easy access to what you’ll need for a nature collage: foliage. Gather everything that could respond to glue: leaves, mosses, petals, flowers, thin twigs, acorns and so on. Then comes the next fun part: stick them on to an existing outline of a landscape or play around by adding foliage as the ‘hair’ or ‘clothing’ for a stick figure or a doodle. Forage to your heart’s content. 
Whether you’re an avid reader or are just dusting off your hardcover collection, bookmarks are absolutely necessary to keep your place (no dog-earing!) Make one relaxing activity better with another by crafting your own bookmarks. Start simple: etch a favorite quote onto a cardboard or paper cutout, use tapes or crayons to color in a drawing, or add a decorative tassel to the top. Or if you’re really specific about where you leave off reading on the page, add a movable cardboard arrow to an elastic band that goes around the book. 
Brew up a shiny accessory for your window or a hanging shelf with a coffee filter and some colors. Use Sharpies or markers to color the filter; drop water on it to let the colors spread and let dry. (Pro tip: add a lot of color, because it fades as it dries). 
Helping the environment and finding a creative outlet? Enter upcycling, helped by a ready supply of the necessary materials right at home. To make an old t-shirt into a reusable tote, cut off the sleeves, then turn the shirt inside out. Cut the bottom into 1-inch fringe-like strands. Tie the strands together in tight knots to hold the bottom closed. Turn it out again and add knots to the sleeve holes for extra grip. 
Originally a quick-fix tool to help tense toddlers and children to relax, calm-down jars work just as well for stressed-out adults. And creating them is even better. Just fill up one-third of a plastic or glass bottle with warm water, add a few dollops of glitter glue, sparkles, sequins food coloring and biodegradable glitter. Mix. Then top off the jar with water or oil, and mix once more. Screw on the lid and give it a good shake—and watch the psychedelic contents swirl, turn and soothe. 
Even watching someone do their nails is oddly relaxing—the careful brushes, the light strokes and the final ten canvases. You can get started with your existing nail color collection and add to the artwork with striping tape, dotting tools, and line brushes—whatever you get your claws into. 
Knitting has been shown to reduce anxiety and increase mood and cognitive functioning. Get started with needles and a ball of yarn. Then follow this beginner-friendly tutorial to make your VSCO-girl-worthy scrunchie. 
If you’re not familiar with bullet journaling, it’s basically grouping related ideas together—for example, you can write a section dedicated to all the restaurants you want to eat at after quarantine is over, or all the methods of self-care you plan to utilize during this time. Don’t forget to add cute doodles in the margins. Doodling isn’t just a sign of being distracted—quite the opposite, according to psychiatrists. Those little puppies, clouds, and chunks of word art can actually help improve your attention span, boost memory retention and relieve mental stress. 
Origami, the art of paper folding, asks for very little but gives a lot in return. All you need to get started folding is some paper and patience. The different types of folds also have fun names: the rabbit ear fold, the squash fold and the petal fold. Sites like the Origami Resource Center have easy 10-step diagrams to start with as well as specific shapes you can aim for. 
Woodworking and whittling is another way to bring nature inside your house—and end up with figurines to liven up your space. All you need is some soft wood (like basswood, cedar and pine) or even some branches or twigs you spy on your next run, and a pocket-knife. If you’d like an extra boost, look to a beginner’s woodworking kit, complete with instructions and a blade. 
Gratitude is a proven way to create more peace and happiness in your life. One way you can express gratitude is with handmade cards and notes. Grab a few Sharpies and let the messages flow. 
Makeup is a perfect balance between routines, which help free up our headspace, and creativity, which calls for focus and attention to detail. Plus, the movement makeup involves—brushing, blotting, patting— is soothing in itself. Make self-care a little artistic the next time you sit in front of a mirror by mixing contrasting colors from a new eyeshadow palette, blending a new combination of blush and bronzer, or if you’re feeling adventurous, following an intricate YouTube tutorial. 
Polymer clay earrings, pendants, bobbles and trinkets are not just one-of-a-kind creations, but also pretty simple to make. What you need to start your own collection: clay in the colors you want, scissors, super glue and an oven. Mix up the colors; cut the clay into hoops, circles, half-moons, or studs; pierce holes for posts and chains; and bake. Sound too complicated? Try an all-in-one earring making kit. 
Adult coloring has become a popular way to relax and recalibrate. Call it a trip down memory lane or a productive activity to refocus your energy—coloring accomplishes many things at once: alleviates mental and physical stress, improves concentration and increases mindfulness. Find yourself a book with stress-relieving patterns and get comfortable.
14 Creative Activities to Calm the Mind and Feed Your Inner Artist
Dirty your hands, relax your mind and nourish your creative side with these 14 activities to do at home.
