It can be difficult to keep up with hobbies—or, indeed, to pick up new ones— outside of school, which provides structured environments like clubs and student organizations that bring people with like-interests together. Between spending the day at work and then carving out time for family and friends afterwards, taking time to engage with something that brings you joy may not seem very high priority; it also may be hard to find motivation and time.
Hobbies, though, release reward chemicals in the brain and can mitigate the adverse effects of the stress of working long hours. An analysis of data from more than 93,000 older adults found that people with hobbies—activities done for pleasure during leisure time—self-reported higher health, happiness, and life satisfaction.
Another analysis from 2021 reviewed how hobbies positively impact mental health; the researchers found 600 ways. Physical and biological benefits may come from increased immune function due to better mental function or greater physical fitness due to increased activity. Psychological effects include a greater sense of resilience and a happier mood. Social benefits, like a better sense of self, more honed social skills, and less loneliness, are also important.
Luckily, the “hobby” umbrella is quite large: anything from birdwatching to gaming to volunteering and beyond could provide positive outcomes for your mental health. This is good news if you don’t have a hobby (yet!); it doesn’t matter what you choose to engage in, just that you choose something. Starting a new hobby doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. You have to eat every day anyway; why not find a new recipe to try? Surely, you have a pen and paper lying around somewhere, so why not try to doodle something? Ideally, you’re supposed to get 20 minutes of physical activity daily, so why not find a podcast on something interesting and take a walk? If you can’t think of anything that sounds enticing, even just googling “hobbies to try” can be a good place to start. Don’t be afraid to try something you’re unsure about!
You may not like everything you try, and that’s okay. The most important thing is to ensure that whatever you do, you do it because it makes you happy. The benefits of having a hobby don’t count if you’re doing an activity just because you feel like you have to. Your hobby doesn’t have to be productive, and you don’t even have to be good at it; as best you can, create a pressure-free environment for yourself and just see what happens. You might be surprised by what you enjoy when you’re not focused on being the best or being an expert right away.
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