Many of us feel we don’t have enough time to ourselves. Downtime is a precious commodity, and yet it always seems to go too quickly. Some of us feel like we don’t even use it wisely when we do have it. So how do you make the most of your downtime? This article is going to share five top tips for making the most of your free time.

Learn to Crochet

Crocheting is both a fun hobby to learn during your downtime, and also helps you to relax. To learn to crochet from scratch can take between three to six months, depending on how much time you have available to pick up the hobby. Crochet allows you to focus on the present and can even be considered a form of mindfulness or therapy. Crochet may also help reduce stress levels in the body.

Read a Book

Reading a physical book is an excellent way to step away from your screen and get immersed in a story. Studies show that reading a book can reduce stress levels by almost 70%. A book allows you to distract yourself by reading something free from the stresses of your day-to-day life. If you have kids, then try reading a book as a family. If you want something that has no relation to your daily life, try reading science fiction or fantasy novel.

Start to run

Running is a great way to learn an active hobby that you can build up over time. Running apps like couch to 5k allow you to build up speed over time in tailored 30-minute sessions. The physical act of running can relieve stress, get you out in the fresh air, and also help you work towards a specific goal.

Have a 5-minute meditation

If you’re busy with home-life, work, or study, then you might not have big chunks of downtime. For those hours you do have in your day, try a 5-minute meditation session to release some tension and spend a bit of time with yourself. Apps like Headspace or Calm have short meditation sessions that you can try.

Do Nothing

Sometimes we get burnout, and just need to let the mind and body rest up. Getting rest can be just as good for you as working out or using your brain. Spend an extra few minutes under your blanket in the morning, wind down in front of a chilled TV show and don’t block out time for your downtime. Overwhelm can be incredibly stressful and detract from you actually enjoying the time you have off.

Summary

You can make the most of your downtime by learning a hobby like crocheting, or learning how to run. Sometimes, the simple act of reading a book can significantly reduce stress and distract us from our daily lives. Even a 5-minute meditation session can count as downtime. But sometimes, booking something into our downtime can have the opposite effect, making us stressed and overwhelmed. In cases like this, doing nothing is also an excellent way to enjoy your time off.

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