Hi lovelies,
Most people view hobbies as something that old or nerdy people do. If you asked 100 people if they had a hobby, most would say no. For whatever reason, it’s not something that the modern generation considers. If we were to dive deeper into that, maybe we’d link it to the rise of social media. Instead of having hobbies, we mindlessly doom scroll through Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok all day.
It’s time to bring hobbies back into the limelight! Here’s a bold statement: everyone should have at least one hobby. It can be whatever you like - and you’ll see loads of examples of hobbies as you make your way through this post.
Why do I so strongly advocate for hobbies? Because they’re hugely beneficial for your mind, body, and soul. If you often suffer from mental health problems like anxiety or depression, a hobby can really help you cope. There are many reasons to find a regular hobby, and we’ll go through some of the best ones below:
Lowers stress levels
A hobby will help you reduce stress levels and get your blood pressure to a normal rate. If you live a stressful life, you’re in desperate need of an outlet that calms you down. Hobbies will do precisely that.
There are many hobbies that induce calmness and reduce stress. Reading is the best example of a stress-reducing hobby. Find a good book series to read so you can drift off and forget about everything else in your life for a moment. Just immerse yourself in a book for an hour or so each day before bed and you will immediately feel less stressed. This can also help you sleep better, which aids your overall well-being.
Improves your mental health
You can argue that lowering stress levels improve your mental health, but hobbies go beyond this. Some hobbies leave you in a much better mental state as you feel happier and more accomplished.
A great example of this is knitting or crochet. Both hobbies require you to spend time carefully creating things. You get a huge sense of accomplishment from doing this, which gives you a rush of positive hormones that make you feel happy. At the same time, you also get the stress-relief benefits, so your mental health is in a much better place.
If you’re suffering from depression or anxiety, try taking up a hobby that makes you feel happy. Doing things that put a smile on your face and give you unbridled joy will be a huge step towards dealing with your symptoms.
Improves your physical health
Yes, a hobby can improve your physical well-being alongside your mental. After all, what is a hobby? It’s an activity you do in your leisure time. This means that working out or going for a run classifies as a hobby.
In fact, there are tons of examples of hobbies that boost your fitness and physical well-being. If you commit to something like weightlifting or running a few times a week, you are going to see improvements in your physical health.
Now, the extra benefit of this is that you start dipping into the advantages of regular exercise. You may see changes to your physical appearance, which gives you a huge inner confidence boost. Your self-esteem rises, which can aid with things like anxiety or shyness. Exercise is also a massive mood booster, which helps with depression.
If you choose a hobby that makes you physically active, you are going to see some hugely positive changes in your life. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that everyone should have a hobby that forces them to be active. You can add another hobby to your life as well, but always ensure you do at least one thing that encourages you to move around regularly.
Encourages more creativity
One of the biggest things that separate us from other animals is our ability to be creative and use our imaginations. It’s what helped us create crazy things throughout the world - like skyscrapers, planes, etc… We’re born to be creative, and when we don’t activate our creative juices, life can feel a bit boring.
Do you remember being a kid and having so much fun every day? You had countless opportunities to use your imagination, but this dries up as you get older. Opting for a hobby like macrame can encourage more creativity every single day. There are so many creative macrame project ideas that harness the power of your imagination and get you to make unique things out of cords or strings. You literally feel your brain whirring and it’s so nice to feel creative again.
This also translates into other areas of your life too. If your job depends on creativity, taking up a hobby can help you get better at it. On the flip side, if you have a mundane job, doing something creative outside of work brings more balance to your life!
Creates more social opportunities
Lastly, hobbies are brilliant as they open the door to social opportunities. If you feel lonely or don’t have many friends, taking up a hobby is the best way to meet new people. You can join local clubs or online communities where you’re surrounded by people with similar interests to you.
As a result, you’re encouraged to be more social and talk to others. Who knows, you might even make some new friends! A controversial example of this is gaming. Yes, gaming is a hobby, and it can create loads of social opportunities. You play online games with people and spend hours talking to them every day. It’s a great way to form new friendships and relationships that last for years.
When you’re more socially active, you tend to feel better about yourself. Your mental health is in a better place, you feel confident, and you no longer have a sense of loneliness lingering over you.
See, the power of hobbies is greater than you ever thought. Having a couple of hobbies that you do regularly will be excellent for a healthier body, mind, and soul.
