4. Paint
It is assumed by many that one of the best ways to get rid of stress is to ‘vent’ it, just like anger. Why not punch a punching bag? Or scream into a pillow?
Actually, this technique (which is known as ‘catharsis’) has been proven ineffective in many studies. Instead, ranting and raving actually gets you more worked up, more stressed and more angry!
So what you need to do instead, is to direct that nervous energy into something more creative. This is one reason that painting is a great option. At the same time though, painting can actually be almost meditative as you find yourself relaxing into a flow state. You can easily forget that you’ve been painting for ages and look up to see that many hours have passed. It’s the same for sketching.