Life is a lot easier and depression is more manageable when you have hobbies to keep your mind active. I know that my sister’s problem is she only has the internet as a way to blow off steam when she’s not working. Endlessly consuming throw-away content everyday isn’t fantastic for your mental health. There’s a reason why crafts are so popular in group therapy and especially at mental hospitals. It occasionally has the power to shut off the space of one’s mind that consistently worries or feels imminent dread. There’s something magical about manipulating something in real time and seeing the end results of your efforts. My depression would be a lot worse than it is if I didn’t have playing guitar as an activity. My younger brother took after me instead of our sister, and right now he’s getting more engrossed with amateaur beekeeping. He worked for years as a pest exterminator and was often called to homes for bee eradication and rescue. If it was a bee rescue task, the hives would be collected along with the bees and they’re all taken to a nature preserve. Since he’s used to dealing with bees while rarely getting stung, it seemed like a natural progression for him to become a beekeeper. I like getting the amazing artisan quality honey from his honey hives. He says that tending to his bees gives him a sense of inner peace that he rarely gets from anything else. I think it’s great that he started beekeeping as a way to keep himself sane in this chaotic world.