If you have trouble with stress or anxiety, research shows you might want to try … arts and crafts? Cleveland Clinic Wellness reports:

New research shows that creating arts and crafts lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. As part of our body’s fight-or-flight response, cortisol is essential for survival, but in our high-stress culture, it can end up being elevated all too often. High cortisol levels can spell serious trouble for your health in the form of inflammation, belly fat, and illness. …

Making art can lower stress whether you’re an accomplished sculptor or a stick-figure aficionado, and there’s certainly no need to rent studio space or invest in expensive materials. Study benefits were tied not to artistic ability but rather to artistic endeavor, and participants used simple materials like markers, paper, and modeling clay. So bust out your watercolors, coloring book, pencils, crayons, or collage materials, and let your creativity flow!