Try a new hobby or interest

If you're feeling stressed out and spread too thin, taking up a new hobby or exploring a new interest is probably the last thing on your mind. But if you're looking for a way to rejuvenate and energize yourself, a new hobby might be just the thing you're looking for. I know what you're thinking, I don't have the time. Well, if time is the only thing holding you back, take a moment to look at how you currently spend your time and see if there are ways to restructure. For example, Nielsen Media research reports that the average person spends 4.5 hours each day watching television and the average household Television is in use an average of 8 hours per day. If you add this up over a lifetime (the average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78 years), that adds up to 14.74 yrs. Think you could learn to play the piano or dance the tango in that amount of time? Don't get me wrong, I'm not down on TV, I'm just using it as an example to demonstrate that there may activities which currently take up significant amounts of your time, time which could just as easily be used in other ways.

Now that I've convinced you that you have the time to invest in new interests or hobbies, lets talk about the benefits of a hobby. Everyone knows about the health benefits of exercise and other physical interests, but you don't have to exert yourself to benefit from a hobby. Studies have shown that people who regularly engage in hobbies such as sewing and gardening are less likely to suffer mental decline. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study which found that those who pursued mind-boosting activities -- such as crossword puzzles -- lowered their risk of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. A hobby can be relaxing, excite you or energize you. It may give you something to feel passionate about or simply some time to yourself. One thing is certain, if you're focused on a hobby or an interest, you're less likely to be focused on your stress or other worries.

A hobby can also become a source of supplemental income or a nest egg for retirement. In 1996 an anonymous collector paid $2.3 million for a single stamp and in 2002 The 1933 Gold Double Eagle, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, sold for $7.5 million U.S. dollars, the highest price ever paid for a single coin. Well it's not likely that you'll stumble across such a rare find, collectors spend millions of dollars on EBAY and thousands of people worldwide have turned their hobbies into a source of income. Who knows, maybe you'll write the next great novel!

So get off that couch and do something you've always wanted to do and remember that when all as said and done more people regret the things they didn't do rather than the ones they did.