Do-it-yourself activities that will serve as your therapy

Hi guys!

Finally the sun is up today after a few days of heavy rain. I got to wash my laundry and did a 30-minute cardio workout this morning. I have been occupied with reading psychology books the past few weeks because I was hoping to pass our comprehensive exam this October (that's for my master's degree). But still there should be breaks in between because studying is sometimes boring. 

So, what I did during breaks?

I helped my sister with this so called Diamond 5D Painting set that was popular these days. Her best friend gave it to her and she let me try doing it. This Diamond 5D painting set is actually small geometric gems which shines like diamond when illuminated. It is based on the concept of mosaics and painting by numbers. 

It is actually fun to do and helps beat boredom. It's just that, it is a bit pricey here in the Philippines. A simple design like above costs around 500-700 pesos. But it is a cool form of art that you can frame and hang on your walls, like what we used to do with paper quilling and cross-stitching. 

Then, I also did some organization at the house and found this mini coloring notebook I bought when this was a hit a year ago. I used my Joy Watercolor Set to color the small details while killing time and relaxing my brain after a 2-hour-reading. 

It's nice to go back on the small details that this type of coloring book has. I think this coloring book designs are from Korea, mine is a version of Secret Garden Adult Coloring Book. 

And just today, I had my watercolor painting session in between my readings. I got the idea from makoccino's videos. I found out about her videos a few days ago and I thought I tried some of the watercolor techniques she mentioned. 

Here's my version:

I love this slice of watermelon! It felt like it's summer again.

I was trying the alcohol technique but it didn't went well so I just combined the alcohol with the tissue technique that makoccino did. 

This is the piece that I liked best. It's eye-catching and has this geometric and tumblr vibes. 

I followed the plastic wrap technique and here's what it turned out. 

Aren't they cool?

I'm glad I was able to apply her techniques although it did not went as what she did, I was able to manage the color mixing. I'm satisfied with the outcome. I now had four new bookmarks! Yey!

We all had busy lives but it is not good to just work, work and work. Give your selves time to rest and enjoy the beauty of life. As I have read, doing arts and craft activities during your leisure time helps you express your emotions and ideas. Rather than using words to communicate, doing art activities will also help you release whatever your mouth could not speak out. Doing crafts also prevent you from opening social media sites which according to studies are causes of depression and other mental health problems. If you are in distress because of heavy and challenging work load give yourself a few minutes and do something artsy-partsy like making your own watercolor bookmarks. Finishing an artwork will give us a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment which can add up to boost our self-esteem too. 

So, rather than spending hours browsing your social media accounts or spending thousands of money into shopping even if you had enough clothes, let your self experience crafting and unleash your creative side. It can be the therapy that you've been needing.