Imagine living a life without having any fun. A life with no activities that would make your day interesting or improve your mood. Simply focusing on working and routines. Sounds scary doesn’t it? This is exactly the reason why people try to spend their free time doing things they enjoy. What do we mean by this? Having hobbies is the number one thing that can enrich your life in numerous ways. But is it the only benefit you’re getting out of it?
According to research, the majority of people are too stressed out by their daily activities, that the only thing they are able to do after they finish their workday is some leisure time. This means that if you’ve just finished your workday and got home, you’re probably too tired to think, and you just want to binge watch your favourite TV show on Netflix.
On the contrary, people who have decided to invest time and dedicate themselves to certain hobbies, have managed to live a more stress-free life and even end up being more successful in different areas of their life.
What’s the reason for this? When you simply do nothing: that could be resting, watching TV, listening to podcasts or watching videos on YouTube, it can be somewhat hard to turn off your mind and stop worrying about the things you usually worry about on a daily basis. At the same time, if you really engage in an activity, it keeps you focused but the focus is different this time. Being highly focused on your hobbies actually helps you shift away from your daily routines and your stressful days at work, and other problems you have. It’s a fantastic way to get your mind off of something and actually enjoy different activities.
As a result, you end up feeling refreshed and full of energy. Why is all this important to mention? Many studies show that there is a link between hobbies and productivity. When we say productivity we mean productivity in general. When you actually invest time and effort into your hobbies that you genuinely enjoy, this helps you be more productive in almost all areas of your life, including your working environment.
No matter how stressful your daily activities are, doing something you enjoy and spending time on it is valuable, especially if these hobbies are creative. When you’re creating something, this helps you change your perspective and it’s fantastic for your mental health.
Not everyone is blessed with doing creative work on a daily basis, and it also isn’t something everyone enjoys. But being able to do something for fun without any pressure to master the skill or to be great at certain activities, sounds like a relief in an environment that is fast-paced and where it feels like everyone is expecting something from you.
It can be anything from reading books to CustomPaintByNumber, sketching to singing, meditating, writing etc. Nurturing your hobbies is also a fantastic way to eventually turn them into something lucrative or an extra stream of income, which is also a very valuable asset if you look at it long term.
These are only some of the reasons why hobbies are good for you. If you have a hobby that you’re good at, it is linked to other areas of your life, such as your work. How is this possible? If you’re successful for example in painting or writing, this could give you an extra boost of confidence in other areas of life, as well and it can make you feel good generally speaking. This is a very strong factor that people take into consideration when thinking about hobbies. And it’s for a good reason!
Hobbies are also great for your mood. They help you actively relax and work on things that make you genuinely happy if you’re feeling low, depressed or stressed out. The best way to overcome all of that is to actually indulge in something that makes you feel good. But it’s different when you’re passively indulging in an activity from when you’re actively working on it.
Using your imagination, creativity and other skills is what makes a difference in your mood. It’s usually an instant improvement. Not to mention the community too. Hobbies are fantastic ways to socialise with other people and to find like-minded individuals who are enjoying the same things. Socializing is also a great way to improve your quality of life. Sometimes people feel like socializing is not something they enjoy, but if it’s socialization with your peer group and if it’s socialization for a cause, for creating something; that brings a special type of joy to people who are a part of it. Hobbies are a fantastic way to connect people and that’s something everyone should take advantage of.
As you can see, there are multiple reasons to start dedicating your time and nurturing your hobbies. But is it always easy to do this? Most certainly not. In a modern era, we’re surrounded by so much technology, flashy billboards and reminders that we are missing out on our favourite TV shows; along with the pressure of having to post things on social media – it’s easy to fall in hours and hours of scrolling. This is why you need to schedule a specific time for hobbies. By doing that, you’re actively choosing to feel better, be more creative and finally be more productive in almost any area of your life. The best thing you can do is start slow and schedule specific time for hobbies, a couple of times a week. You can increase the amount of time dedicated for hobbies later. This is what career specialists and also psychologists advise. Spending time on social media will bring you nothing except from instant dopamine kicks, but if you really invest time in a hobbies, it can bring you multiple benefits over time. This should be your goal in the long run anyway.
Try to remember that one thing you’ve always wanted to try and give it a shot. You will fall in love with it fast!