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What is a hobby? Hobbies are activities you do purely for enjoyment, without regard to money or accolades. Some people are lucky enough to work in a career field that fully aligns with their passion. (IMO, that’s like catching a unicorn.) But for those of us who haven’t found our dream job, exploring a hobby or two can be rewarding.
Benefits of a Hobby
Before you dismiss the idea and decide it’s not for you, I want to highlight some of the benefits of having a hobby.
It allows for creative expression.
It reduces stress.
It promotes mental health.
It fosters connection with others.
It keeps you mentally and physically active.
It allows for spiritual growth.
When you make time to do what makes you happy, you’ll improve your overall wellbeing. I personally believe that when you tap into your individual passions, you’re fully living the depth of the human experience, engaging your mind, body, and spirit.
How to Find a Hobby?
Where do you start?
As with most things in life, I like to start by putting my pen to paper and journaling about it. Focus on answering some basic self-discovery questions.
Journal Prompts:
When do I feel most alive?
What brings me a feeling of calm?
When do I tend to lose track of time?
How do I naturally express my creativity?
What were some activities I enjoyed doing as a child?
Once you get some initial ideas down on paper, research local class offerings, groups, and resources that align with your interests. Your local library, art studios, and community colleges are a good place to start.
Then register and show up. Try new activities and treat it like a trial-and-error experiment. You don’t have to be an expert, and I bet you won’t be the only one in the group who is new to the activity.
It’s about learning what you like and growing into a practice that fits for you. Whatever it is, start on a small scale and work your way up. For instance, if you think you might be interested in edible gardening, plant a small herb garden your first season. Then if you decide it’s something you enjoy, you can add in vegetable plants the following season and gradually build up a full kitchen garden.
Hobby Ideas to Try:
painting
gardening
reading
hiking/forest bathing
sewing/knitting
cooking/baking
dancing
writing
skiing
pickleball/tennis
golf
yoga
bird watching
origami
biking
caring for animals
weightlifting
photography
running
playing a musical instrument
pottery
fishing
horseback riding
stargazing
surfing
Barriers to Entry
One of the biggest barriers for me is perfectionism. It’s in my nature to want to be the best at whatever I do and to get it right. I have to remind myself to let go and focus on the act of doing instead of the final product. You don’t have to share it with anyone. The focus should be: Am I having fun?
Another barrier is time commitment. Maybe you work full-time or have young children, so finding time to devote to a hobby is challenging. Try experimenting with different ways to fit the activity into your schedule - short bursts in between tasks, turn off screens to help with focus, attend sessions once per week, etc. (i.e. reading a book for 5-10 minutes at a time is better than never picking it up.) Make it work for yourself and your schedule.
Monetary investment. Some hobbies require expensive equipment, supplies or fees. For instance, golf can be quite the investment with clubs, a bag, balls, golf shoes, a glove, green fees, and so on. Before you commit to a hobby, you can try renting or borrowing equipment until you know it’s the right thing for you. Later on, you may end up enjoying the activity and the benefits will eventually outweigh the initial startup costs.
Sometimes we feel reluctant to try something new if we don’t know anyone else doing it. The beauty is that you will meet like-minded people when you show up. Making friends as an adult can be challenging, and this is a great opportunity to meet new people with common interests. Give it a try and put yourself out there.
Flow State
When you’re fully immersed in an activity, you tend to lose track of time and your surroundings. This is known as a state of flow. You’re so wrapped up in the joy of doing that nothing else matters in the moment. This concept of flow was coined by a psychologist named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who studied happiness and the creative process.
When you find a hobby that puts you in a state of flow, engaging in the activity itself can actually be more rewarding than the outcome. All the more reason to do an activity just for fun and let go of perfectionism and judgement. It is for your personal enjoyment, and you don’t even have to share it with the world.
Connect with Yourself
As adults with everyday demands and responsibilities, we often lose sight of our personal interests. Making time for creativity and fun is a form of self-care that allows us to get in touch with who we are. We fully engage the whole self - mind, body, and spirit. Find what makes you you and go for it.
Do you have a hobby? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
My Favorites This Week:
I just checked this book out from the library. Looking forward to diving into another fiction read.
I found value in this Good Life Project podcast episode with Rainn Wilson on spirituality. Even if you’re not a “religious person” I think it’s a good listen. (And yes, it’s Dwight Schrute for all my Office fans out there.)
It’s almost nap dress season. Patiently waiting for some warmer temps.
This peppermint tea is the best ever. It’s a staple in our home.
The birds are going wild around here, and hearing their songs brings me joy. I discovered a really cool app called Merlin Bird ID that helps you identify birds by their sounds. Call me a nerd but I get so excited to see who my bird neighbors are. In this clip I identified the House Sparrow and Northern Cardinal.
After a hiatus I busted out the chemex this week, and I’m making pour-over coffee again. It’s so damn good. Purest tasting cup of coffee in my opinion.
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- Diana xo
Nap dress and coffee please