“Escape” from mental pressure

Peace through physical labor

Khanh Linh (26 years old, a media employee in Ho Chi Minh City) said: "Recently, I happened to see a psychology doctor say that the previous generation of grandparents and parents certainly had a lot of psychological trauma, because they experienced war, poverty... But that trauma was somewhat liberated because the main labor force at that time was manual labor, I think it's very true." After graduating for 3 years, Linh has changed jobs 6 places, many of which only lasted 2-4 weeks before quitting, even though she graduated with a good degree.

Falling into severe depression because she thought she could not pursue her favorite career, or whether she could survive in the labor market, Linh was taken by her family to see a psychologist and the first therapy was "running". "In the beginning, I could only walk around the park once, about 700m, but it really felt relaxing. After that, the doctor instructed me to do "forest bathing" therapy, which is running in the green nature, maintaining 30 minutes/day for 7 days. I felt a clear change in myself, more optimistic, my body lighter. I slowed down, smelled the leaves, listened to the wind and observed people: some in wheelchairs, some on crutches, some who had just recovered from illness, but everyone was active, optimistic, running while meeting and chatting...", Linh excitedly shared.

A year ago, when she was feeling disoriented, Ms. Nguyen Nguyet (30 years old, teacher) was taught crochet by a friend. She admitted: “Crocheting helps stabilize the mind because it requires focusing on the operations, counting the number of stitches, watching the instructional clips carefully, etc. Then I tried painting, and found it much less stressful. Later, I gradually realized that these subjects help me distract my brain, shifting my thoughts from the chaos of work to another problem. Once my thoughts stabilized, I returned to my old worries with a more comfortable mindset, and solved them more easily.”

Science has proven the quite effective emotional regulation effect of manual activities, sports... Through physical activities, the brain secretes endorphins, dopamine, serotonin to help reduce pain, comfort, and increase healthy excitement. Stress and anxiety make young people "stuck in their heads", manual labor helps them return to feeling their hands, feet, breathing... feeling in control of their lives, feeling lighter.

Creativity from patience

Having fallen into a state of crisis of confidence in life, even at times contemplating using stimulants to find relief, Thanh Vu (32 years old, advertising staff of a construction materials company) stopped in time to choose a different solution for himself. “Painting and pottery are two difficult subjects, but because they are difficult, they require my mind to work hard to find a solution. And gradually, I built a new environment for myself, separate from the stressful environment every day. Not to mention that being creative during breaks is very helpful for the work of creating advertising models, which is considered a win-win situation,” Vu shared. He also added that the problem is not choosing which form but knowing when to take care of your own mental health: “Find rest and relaxation when you are only “60% out of battery” instead of completely depleted and then forced to use extreme solutions.”

For Nguyen Nguyet, since learning to crochet, she has had many more positive and fun topics to talk about with friends, such as sharing experiences in choosing yarn, color combinations, and crocheting techniques. Nguyet has also made a few small gifts such as flower-patterned handbags, mesh-style, and braid-style, to send to her mother and relatives on their birthdays in the countryside, and many types of scarves and wool hats to send to relatives living abroad during the winter. “Actually, it’s not beautiful or outstanding, but the important thing is that you made it yourself. Therefore, when friends and relatives receive those gifts, everyone is very happy and appreciates it,” Nguyet said.

In addition, painting for more than a year has helped Nguyet feel that she has improved her aesthetic sense, and knows how to coordinate colors of clothes and furniture better, because her eyes are exposed to fine arts or have to think about colors a lot. She has also given up the habit of surfing social networks, and also stopped thinking about everything in a negative way to have a better life. "Choosing a job like knitting or drawing is not to become a craftsman or an artist, the important thing is that those activities have helped my life become richer and of course, I also feel happier", Ms. Nguyen Nguyet confided.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/loi-thoat-cho-ap-luc-tinh-than-post808083.html