Anything that has a calming effect on your mind and stimulates your creative side can be an antidote for stress and worry. This may be a wide variety of things depending on your likes and hobbies. People can express themselves in many ways: listening to music, creating art or reading.

My antidote for stress is creating digital fan art while I listen to my favorite K-pop songs in the background.

Art is a great way to express yourself, and more importantly, to focus on things that make you happy. You do not have to be the best artist to use art as a creative outlet. The same goes for any creative activity, regardless of whether you are a creator or a consumer. You just have to enjoy doing it.

I, for one, am not the most gifted digital artist, nor do I have much knowledge of music. And yet, those are the two things that I turn to at the end of a long day. Why? Because I enjoy creating fan art and listening to K-pop. It reminds me of all the good things in this world that I cherish. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It helps me escape reality. It makes me feel safe and in control of my life. And that is all that matters.

No matter how stressful and packed my day is, I always end it with K-pop blasting in my living room as I create fanart on my tablet. It works every single time!

As life starts gaining pace and you are faced with stressful situations that make you worry to the extent that you feel drained, it is very important to find something you like to do. There are many things that you have to do, but finding the things we genuinely want to do is what helps us through even the hardest curveballs life throws at us.

We are so focused on trying to fit all of these boxes and overcome every obstacle in one go, that we forget to stop and take a breather. Engaging in activities you like doing is an effective way to press pause, especially when life gets very hectic. 

Find your creative outlet, or try new things if you cannot think of anything that helps you relieve stress. Once you find something that works for you, make it a part of your daily routine. 

Do the things you love, not for anyone else, but for yourself. Do them without any constraints or boundaries. Do them without expecting anything in return. Do them because you love doing them. Do them because, for whatever reason, they make you feel better.

Do what makes you happy as a way to break the monotony of life.