Everyone keeps telling us to meditate all the time. Stressed? Meditate. Tired? Meditate. Feeling crippled by the weight of the world’s seemingly impossible expectations? Meditate.

And while meditating is a very good, scientifically-proven form of stress relief, it’s also a little bit boring. Shutting off our minds is a good idea in theory, but in practice, it’s nothing but sitting on our bedroom floor staring at a wall. Snoresville.

If you like the idea of not being an anxiously crippled mess but you don’t have the patience for meditation, try these out instead.

#1 Start Puzzlin’

Yes, we realise that nothing sounds more lame than “puzzles”. They conjure up images of sticky-handed toddlers or your Great Aunty Doreen.

But puzzles are actually really fun and super relaxing. They also sharpen your mind, help you focus and promote cognitive pathways (a fancy way of saying they help you ‘think better’). Not to mention the fact that once you’re in a puzzling groove, you’ll find that you’re concentrating on nothing else but the puzzle. You’ll feel super zen in no time.

#2 Run Your Little Legs Off

Exercise is a perfect way to de-stress. But running, in particular, is great because it’s based on rhythm and endurance. Set yourself a route, or a specified amount of time, and see how long you can go for.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Even if you can only manage five minutes of running, it’s better than nothing, and it’ll still help relieve some of your tension.

#3 Spend Time Outdoors

Mum Nature is a therapeutic wizard. In fact, a hug from her is just as good as a hug from your actual mum – it will make you feel all comforted and warm.

When was the last time you packed a picnic basket and lay on the grass for an entire afternoon? I bet it was ages ago. Do that. Lie in the sun, soak up the rays and try not to think of anything at all.

#4 Yes, You Should Colour In

You knew it was coming, so we may as well get it over and done with. Adult colouring may be a bit of a passing craze but its benefits shouldn’t be scoffed at.

Colouring releases the amygdala (fear) part of your brain, which immediately allows you to relax and rest your mind. It’s like tucking your brain into bed for 10 minutes or so. It’ll make you feel refreshed, de-stressed and hey, it’ll literally fill your head with colour. Can’t go wrong with that.

If painting sounds a bit more interesting to you, the benefits are quite similar. No one’s expecting you to be Picasso on your first try but just putting paint to canvas will make you breathe a sigh of relief.

#5 Knit A Scarf

Knitting is so easy. Anyone can do it! If you don’t have a grandma or sweet old lady around to teach you, you can look up some tutorials on YouTube and get started.

The cool thing about knitting is that the process is just as — if not better — than the end result. You get to wind down, but you also get a scarf at the end. What a bonus!

#6 Ride A Bike

Just like we’ve mentioned before, repetitive motions help your brain relax and enter a meditative state. Riding your bike has not only been proven to lower levels of stress but it’ll also give your brain a boost because, exercise!

Also, there’s nothing more joyful than feeling the wind in your hair as you ride down a hill. It makes you feel alive, and feeling alive and in the moment is the whole darn point of meditation.

Be zen, my pretties. Be zen.

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Josephine is the Editor of Uni Junkee. She never tweets at @josieannparsons.