{"id":1777,"date":"2023-09-19T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cos.p10.sol1.net\/uncategorized\/how-creative-hobbies-can-help-keep-you-young\/"},"modified":"2023-09-29T00:24:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T00:24:33","slug":"keep-young-with-creative-hobbies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/keep-young-with-creative-hobbies","title":{"rendered":"How Creative Hobbies Can Help Keep You Young"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Living Longer, Feeling Older<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Australians are living longer than ever before. The average Aussie now lives to an impressive 83.5 years \u2013 and we are staying at work well into our 60s. But with living and working longer comes the question \u2013 what can we do to keep ourselves feeling young and healthy, as we age? Well, the answer is creative hobbies!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Eating healthy foods, engaging in regular physical activity, and attending regular medical check-ups are all the recommended ways that people can safeguard their health well into their \u2018golden years\u2019. However, research shows that we shouldn\u2019t just be sticking to this paradigm only. So, what is the unlikely answer to the question of aging? Creative hobbies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Creative Hobbies and Happiness<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to a study on Aging by Dr Bradley J Fisher at Missouri State University, creative hobbies are <\/span>a great way<\/span> to stay healthy and happy while aging. His research found that there are six main factors to aging well: <\/span><\/span>Sense of Purpose, Interactions with Others, Personal Growth, Self-acceptance, Autonomy, <\/span><\/span>and <\/span><\/span>Health<\/span><\/span>. He found that creative activities help people age well by fostering a sense of purpose, growth, and competence.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

As children, we are actively encouraged to play and be creative. We are taught a myriad of artistic activities throughout our school years. We all know that creativity aids in healthy cognitive development for children \u2013 most if not all of us enjoyed some form of <\/span>creative<\/span> hobby as a child, just for the fun of it! So why do we stop?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

At some point, the emphasis on doing a \u2018good job\u2019 overtakes the pure pleasure of self-expression \u2013 art for art\u2019s sake. From around the age of seven, children begin to be aware of the judgement of others. They begin to fear rejection and thus become aware of how their artistic <\/span>endeavour<\/span> may be perceived by others. Due to this inner critic, many children stop drawing at about the age of nine or ten.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Making time for Creative Hobbies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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When was the last time you picked up a paint brush, or took a pottery class? Many people do remain creative throughout their lives, but unfortunately due to this worry of not doing a \u2018good job\u2019, many will have gone years without nurturing their creative side, no matter how much they want to.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The benefits of creative hobbies for our brains don\u2019t reduce as we get older. If anything, creative hobbies are just as important for older people as they are for little kids. Doing creative activities has a meditative effect on the mind and body and has even been found to release natural anti-depressants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Whether you want to do woodworking, cooking, gardening, creative writing, or learn to play the oboe, trying a new (or old!) creative hobby is a fantastic way of keeping yourself physically and mentally healthy. You might discover a hidden passion that you never knew you had!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Benefits of Creative Hobbies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s<\/span> time to learn to play again! Here are the 6 ways creative hobbies can help keep you young.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Sense of Purpose<\/h3>

It\u2019s important for people to feel like they\u2019re part of something or working towards a goal. Creative hobbies give a sense of meaning to life as well as a sense of accomplishment when a project is finished. Taking up a creative hobby can be a good way of supporting personal goals and a sense of responsibility over something other than ourselves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Interactions with Others<\/h3>

It\u2019s important to stay social at any age. Picking up a new hobby can be a fun activity to do with your friends and family, as well as a great way to help you to meet new people. Some art centres nowadays even offer \u2018Paint and Wine\u2019 classes to help you learn a new creative skill in a social environment (not that you need alcohol to have fun). Who knows, you might meet your new best friend over an easel!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. Personal Growth<\/h3>

The act of making art involves creating something out of nothing. By learning a new artistic skill, you will be challenged to improve your work and to learn techniques that you may never have tried before. In addition to helping us understand our world, art helps us understand ourselves and is often used as a tool for therapy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Self-acceptance<\/h3>

Many studies point to a link between creative arts, and self-acceptance. Research from the University College London found that creating art can \u201cvalidate the uniqueness of an individual, which gives rise to a sense of accomplishment and to feelings of self-worth\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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5. Autonomy<\/h3>

As we age, many people begin to feel a loss of control over their lives. Needing to visit a doctor more often, having to be cared for by others, or even living with a disability is bound to make anyone feel a loss of independence. So, taking part in any hobby can be a great way to bring a feeling of autonomy back into life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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6. Health<\/h3>

Numerous studies suggest a link between increased depression among older people and a higher risk of serious health problems and cognitive decline. Creativity has many scientific benefits to maintaining physical and mental wellbeing, ranging from combating dementia to releasing natural anti-depressants in the brain. Some creative activities, such as journaling, has been found to boost the immune-system!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Cavalcade of Creative Hobbies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The options are endless – here are some ideas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>