In a book called The Creativity Cure, authors Carrie and Alton Barron make an interesting claim: using our hands can help us avoid or alleviate mild to moderate depression.
She is a psychiatrist, he is a hand surgeon. They point out that more than half of the brain's cortex is mapped to our hands, which suggests that activities that involve our hands engage our brains.
Swiping your iPad or phone isn't what they have in mind, though. Instead they suggest things like:
gardening
writing longhand
sculpture
painting or drawing
sewing
carpentry
playing a musical instrument
crafting
preparing food (using a microwave doesn't count)
building something (birdhouse, shed, etc.)
The book also emphasizes movement, mind rest, reframing your thoughts, and other elements but it's the emphasis on using your hands that I found the most unusual and interesting.
