‘BLAH’

"BLAH."W

hat’s not ridiculous?

MYTHS

GETTING OUT OF IT.

Stress Reduction

Relaxation

Better Focus

IT’S RIDICULOUS.Sitting around feeling ‘blah’ or ‘ick’ or ‘m

eeeehhh.’ It can steal 15 m

inutes, 2 hours, or a w

hole day.

Finding an activity to pull you out of the “BLAH” isn’t as hard as it feels.

Saying ‘Good Riddance’ can do more

than just the annoying feelings go aw

ay, there are other benefits like:

YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.

SOURCES

ACTIVITYYOU’RE BORED?

That awful place betw

een brain dead

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

FIND SOMETHING

THAT DOESN’T SOUND

AND DO IT.

MENTAL

ACTIVITIES

CREATIVEACTIVITIES

SOCIAL ACTIVITY

MENTAL RELAXATION

Social interaction in activities can be very m

entally occupying. This can help relax the mind

on other stressful events, transform diffi

cult em

otions, and reorient negative emotional states

in a more conscious, creative and positive m

ood.

RECREATIONIt is often m

uch easier to designate recreational tim

e if others are involved and can hold each other accountable. Social recreation can m

ore fulfilling recreation as participating in social roles can create m

ore positivity between people and in

view of your ow

n self.

Activities COMBAT GUILTY FEELINGS of w

asting the day away.

Activities that involve creating a product instigate MOTIVATION.

Too overloaded to be bored, too apathetic to be stressed.

brain explode,and

FOCUS AND HEALTHAlthough it m

ay seem that taking specific tim

e out in your day to not focus on things you feel need to get done im

mediately or are causes of stress in your life

may be counter-intuitive, engaging in these activities can im

prove your mental

focus overall and benefit you even more greatly than just trying to keep focus on

the stresses at hand.

Research has shown that engaging in activities that you enjoy, or are naturally

good at, can boost mental health. One in-patient m

ental health facility in the United Kingdom

that primarily treats those w

ith schizophrenia and major

depressive disorder helps its patients to develop long-lost hobbies.

BULLSHIT. Refreshment

Positivity

more accurately described as

the im

porta

nce o

f copin

g activities

CHEMICAL RELEASE

Endorphins are the body’s natural feel good chemicals, and

when they are released through exercise, m

oods are boosted naturally. In addition to endorphins, exercise also the chem

icals adrenaline, serotonin, and dopam

ine.

BRAIN FUNCTIONPhysical activity helps increase the blood and oxygen flow

to the brain. This increases grow

th factors that help create new

nerve cells and chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such

as dopamine, glutam

ate, norepinephrine, and serotonin. DEPRESSIONEndorphins have long been designated responsible for “runner’s high”. This phenom

enon is a result of endorphins acting as a natural pain reliever and antidepressant in the body. Because of these properties, endorphins help relieve depression and m

otivate anyone having depressive tendencies.

Martial Arts

YogaHikingW

alkingSw

imm

ingDancing

Meditation

Music

ReadingTinkering

Games

KnittingPaintingCraftsPhotography

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

When new

concepts are learned and practiced, the prefrontal cortex in the brain receives exercise. This part of the brain controls reconciling contradictory thoughts, decision-m

aking, foreseeing future events, and regulating social control.

REDIRECTIONEngaging the m

ind in activities that require more brain

power than any other exercise can help clear the m

ind of other stressors present in life by shifting the focus of m

ental exertion onto another productive task.

SENSE AWAKENING

Mental exercise helps stim

ulate the five senses. As the brain focuses on any given activity, it learns how

to better hone in on each specific sense involved. Playing an instrum

ent will naturally im

prove hand-eye coordination, touch, and audio senses.

CREATIONDoing a creative activity helps engage the m

ind and body in a purposeful task that can help im

prove self esteem by instilling

a sense of power and control back into the m

ind set.

PRODUCTIONBecause creative activities produce a product that is often tangible in real space, they yield a additional value separate from

stress relief. Breaking from stressful activities to m

ake som

ething that enjoyable can be more productive w

hen there is som

ething to show for the tim

e taken.

SELF EXPRESSIONCreative activities can help express som

e of the negative feelings, thoughts or previous actions in life as creative outlets help express the unique point of view

in each person.

REDIRECTING the mind helps relieve stress.

Focusing on other enjoyable activities builds SELF-ESTEEM

Doing something you like inspires SELF IM

PROVEMENT.

FUN comes w

ith creating experiences and doing som

ething new.

MENTAL ACTIVITY =

STRESSEngaging in m

ental activity CAN un-stress you

PRODUCTIVITY = W

ORKDoing an activity DOESN’T HAVE TO be a chore

You CAN relax and still have something to show

for it RELAXATION =

NON PRODUCTIVITY

Friends and acquaintances help CHANNEL ENERGY into a group activity.

ACTIVITY = NO SOCIAL TIM

EDoing activities W

ILL bring social opportunities

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CoverDalhoff

, Henning. Human Brain Anatom

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age. Science Photo Library. 2007.

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ikayla J. Jess Solving Rubik’s Cube. 2012. Photograph. Raleigh, NC.

Crochet. Photograph. The Pickled Herring. 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2012. <http://

the-pickled-herring.blogspot.com

/2011/02/theres-something-about-cold-w

eather.html>.

Knitting Wom

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ww

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knitting/knitting-w

orld-records>.

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eather.html>.

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.sciencephoto.com/m

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Montreal M

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eb. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://w

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.sciencephoto.com/m

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Montreal M

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