The Big Impact of a Small Hobby
Everyday life is stressful. Jobs. Kids. School. Committees. The list is endless really. There are so many things that have deadlines or need our attention. Hobbies are things that don’t require us to be involved and they can give us a way to pursue things that interest us, that help give us a creative outlet.
Chances are some of you already have a hobby, others may want to strike up a hobby but just aren’t sure what to do. Hobbies shouldn’t be costly, they shouldn’t require you to be a professional or obtain perfection. I mean if a hobby is going to stress you out that much, then it’s really just a job, right?!
Hobbies have so many benefits. Let’s explore some of them here.
Stress relief. Did you know that having a hobby can lower your stress, better our physical health, help us sleep better and get this…even help improve our work performance. Who doesn’t need even one of those benefits? If you dare try to say that you don’t need to improve on one of those aspects, I will call bullhocky!! I’ll be the first one to go ahead and admit I could use some…ok, more than some…. improvement in every single one! No shame in my game. I’m pretty sure most everyone can agree.
Discover and explore our talents. We’re all good at something. I didn’t say perfect, I said good and even semi good counts. How do you know what you might be good at unless you try new things? It takes some self-exploration to find that out. If you never pick up a paint brush you will never know how well you can paint, if you never swing at a golf ball, you’ll never know how well you can hit it, if you never put a pen to paper you will never know how well you can write a story or poem. The point is, you have to be willing to try and you also have to be willing to not be perfect.
Improving self-esteem. So once you’ve pushed yourself to give something a try, you took the first and biggest step. Ok, so the first time you picked up that paint brush you probably didn’t create a piece rivaling van Gogh, but you put yourself out there and every time after that when you paint, you get better. Each time your brush strokes have more control you can see it and it encourages you to go further. Everything takes practice in life, and practice is what makes us better and when we get better, we feel more confident.
Prepares us for retirement. Yeah, sign me up for that!! Some people spend a majority of their lives defined by their work. I’m not judging, just saying. When that time comes, it’s a huge lifestyle change and they suddenly find themselves with time on their hands and don’t know what to do with it. Having a hobby, before that time in your life comes, gives you some identity outside of work. It gives a sense of consistency, something you can continue on with that is familiar.
Who doesn’t need even one of those benefits? If you dare try to say that you don’t need to improve on one of those aspects, I will call bullhocky!! I’ll be the first one to go ahead and admit I could use some…ok, more than some…. improvement in every single one! No shame in my game. I’m pretty sure most everyone can agree.
So where do you start when you’re trying to decide what hobby to do? Well, start with asking yourself these questions:
What kind of things am I genuinely interested in? Do a little brainstorm session. Write down some things of interest, things that you find relaxing and yet rewarding. Do you enjoy gardening, baking, writing, playing a musical instrument, exercise, reading, or something you enjoyed at one time in the past, perhaps a childhood interest that you haven’t visited in a long while. Even doing something of no cost like organizing can take your mind to a new place for a little while. This hobby doesn’t have to be something you’ve done before. Trying something new is even better! Whichever direction you go, just make sure it is something that will relax you.
How do I make time for a hobby? I know, I know, I know…..I mean if I had a dime for every time I either heard someone say or said myself “I don’t have time for…”, I’d have enough money to be making relaxing on a beach every day somewhere as my hobby. It takes restructuring our time in our head, being really honest about what we fill our days and nights with and finding those long moments in-between to unwind and let ourselves indulge in a relaxing head space. You’re still using cognitive skills when you are engaging in a hobby, it’s not wasted brainpower….it’s beneficial brainpower.
Should my hobby be productive? NO, just no! Again, if you are focusing on productivity then it’s a job, not a hobby. Hobbies should be something separate from productivity, something that is low pressure, relaxing and something that brings you genuine fulfillment.
Am I talented enough for a hobby? Are you selling the things you’re going to make or bake or write or whatever? Probably not, so why would you think you have to be perfect…or even just good at it? This hobby is for you and by gosh you just might find yourself getting better and better at it the longer you do it. Even if you don’t, who cares. As long as you find yourself relaxing and your stress level depleting while you are doing it, then you’re doing it right!
Do I have to stick to just one thing? Not necessarily, however if you are the type of person who gets anxious about leaving a project undone, then maybe hobby bouncing isn’t the way to go. On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who tends to get bored quickly then having more than one thing going at a time isn’t a bad thing. Just try not to overwhelm yourself. Hobbies aren’t sprints, they’re meant to be more like marathons.
Should my hobby include others? Well, that completely depends on you. Do you crave being around others even when you’re trying to relax or does downtime to you mean no other humans allowed? Either way, you’re right. If you are the type of person who likes connecting with others then locking yourself in a room and trying to relax over a one person hobby is probably not going to do the trick. If you prefer to be alone in order to relax, then signing up to play bridge isn’t a good idea.
Once you’ve had a chance to consider some options, put them to the test. There are no hard and fast rules about hobbies. Tried golf and didn’t like it? Maybe a yoga class is more your thing. Hated yoga? Maybe pottery will tickle your fancy or Sudoku. YOU DO YOU. As long as what you are doing is relaxing and de-stressing to you, then THAT is the right hobby for you.