The leisure pharmacy

✣ FOR STRESS AND ANXIETY: KNITTING Knitting was identified as the most relaxing hobby in one study***, which found the resting heart rate of participants lowered by 18.75% to 65bpm, on average. Fishing, blogging, calligraphy and painting closely followed.

✣ FOR LOW SELFESTEEM: READING Enjoy immersing yourself in a romance or love the pace of a thriller? Those who read more had increased self-esteem, empathy, and wellbeing, and reduced symptoms of depression, along with a lower dementia risk, found a report by The Reading Agency.

✣ FOR LOW MOOD: GARDENING As well as providing a full-body workout, research consistently shows that gardening lifts mood and reduces anxiety, stress and depression.