Easter Holiday Hobbies To Boost Your Happiness

Easter is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in some personal interests and lots of self-care!

Whether it’s a project you struggle to find time for day-to-day, a hobby that you once really enjoyed or something you’ve been inspired to try your hand at, The Carousel is urging all Aussies to set their intent to meet their wellness goals over the four day weekend.

We asked wellness expert Dr Paula Watkins from The Happiness Institute shares her tips for some alternative Easter holiday hobbies, together with the benefits each provide:

Fitness

Take advantage of the long weekend and go for a walk to your local park (keep up your social distancing, of course). Getting outdoors boosts Vitamin D and discovering new landscapes whilst exercising stimulates dopamine and other happy hormones. Monitoring your fitness progress including your workout distance and intensity boosts motivation and helps you to stay committed. Remember to wear your activity tracker. it will not only motivate you, it will incentivise you to achieve your goals and them beat them.

Art and design

Four days is plenty of time to get engrossed in an art project. Hand-painting Easter eggs is a great activity for the whole family to enjoy. It’s incredibly therapeutic as the fine paint strokes require high levels of concentration and steady hand-eye coordination. The precision required, paired with quality family time, will leave you feeling connected to your mind, body and soul.

Photography

Easter can be one of the few times a year where the extended family gets together – making it the perfect time to update the family photo. Get creative and turn it into an activity, using different themes, dress ups or props. Following this, use print and copy services to turn your photos into a photobook, photo gift or create a canvas. Laughter truly is the best medicine and to share special moments like these with loved ones will leave you feeling connected and content.

Music

Listening to music stimulates the brain, boosts mood and serves as an emotional and stress release, making it the perfect activity over the Easter break. Create new playlists, explore new artists, or if you have a knack for lyrics, take some time-out to put pen to paper. An Easter road trip is the perfect opportunity to bring back golden oldies and reflect on special memories. Invest in an AUX cord for the car or if you’re travelling in a more vintage vehicle, a portable speaker may be the way to go.

Scrapbooking

Digital cameras and smartphones are great additions to family holidays; however pictures on digital storage tend to be forgotten about once we’re home. Use the Easter break to gather your photos and make a scrapbook, which is a great activity to complete with other members from the trip. Include relevant keepsakes like travel tickets, stickers or business cards of your favourite restaurants, and bring it to life with art and craft. Reminiscing on great times is known to be good for our health. This kind of nostalgia can boost mood and helps to provide a sense of meaning.