Why You Need to Find Your New Favorite Hobby

I know what you might be thinking. Between work, grocery shopping, laundry and making dinner, I barely have time for myself. And now you want me to add a hobby into my already jam packed scheduled?!

I totally hear you on this and I use to feel the exact same way. But then I started to take a good, hard look at my life (scary I know!) And I started to realize how similar my days were from week to week. It was the whole get up, get ready for work, go to work, come home, eat and crash routine. I was tired of the same old, same old. I wanted to find something I could enjoy during my downtime that wasn’t always Netflix. And so my journey for a hobby began. And let me tell you friends I am so happy I went on this journey. Hobbies have had an amazingly positive impact on my life in more ways than one. And I know they can do the same for you.

Benefits of Having a Hobby

Did you know that people with hobbies often experience less stress, are less likely to suffer from depression and overall have a better mood and better outlook on life? Years ago I didn’t have a single hobby. I didn’t have anything in particular that I enjoyed coming home and putting my time, energy and focus on other than watching tv or hanging out with friends from time to time. My energy wasn’t being put towards anything productive and my mental health was starting to suffer from it. I made excuses for the longest time. I told myself things like “I’m too tired to do anything when I get home from work” or “I just don’t have the time.”

But I was starting to realize I was in this pattern of wake up, go to work, come home, repeat. There wasn’t anything in the middle that I was doing for myself. I was starting to feel low on energy and just an overall lack of motivation in general. I began looking for ways to pull myself out of this slump and that’s how I discovered the incredible benefits of hobbies.

Finding creative ways to express yourself is so important to not only find more creative and productive ways to spend your spare time, but to also learn more about who you are as a person. So if you’re interested in learning more about the amazing impacts that hobbies can have on your life then keep reading.

Improves Productivity

Hobbies are a fantastic way to switch off work-mode more quickly and easily which in turn leads to less stress, improved mood and decreases the likelihood of burnout. You’ll feel so much better knowing you are filling your free time with more productive, creative activities that get your body and mind working instead of wasting time on things like scrolling aimlessly through Instagram or binge watching the latest Netflix series. Hobbies will help you create a better of state of flow at work. Your mood will be lifted and in turn your productivity will increase.

De-Stress

Studies have shown that people who have hobbies are more likely to be less stressed and overall happier than compared to those who don’t. It’s something you can turn to when you’ve had a bad day to help take your mind off of the situation and get you focused on something you actually enjoy doing. Ever leave work in a terrible mood at the end of the day and suddenly your favorite song comes on the radio? You can’t help but feel a slight uplift in your mood even if it’s only for those few minutes. Hobbies work in a very similar way, but they have a much longer lasting effect on our mood.

Learn New Skills

A new hobby will ultimately help you learn new skills. Take blogging for example. Blogging is something I started doing because I love to write. So I started learning a little bit about blogging and content creation here and there in my spare time. Along the way I have improved my writing skills, learned abut SEO and how to implement it and learned how to use WordPress. These are valuable skills that actually translate into real resume builders!

Disrupt Your Regular Old Routine

If you are finding yourself doing the same old, same old day in and day out then try adding a new hobby. Hobbies are a great way to switch up your routine and allow you to try out new things you might not have otherwise tried before. Take a step outside of your comfort zone for a little while and see what you find.

Meet New People

Looking to expand your social circle? Hobbies are a great way to help you connect with others who have similar interests. Try taking a class or signing up for an event in a field you’re interested in. You’ll be surprised by all of the connections you make. This is also a great way to network and make new friends along the way.

Learn Something New About You

I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone a little bit and try something new. If you’re unsure whether or not you’ll like it, go ahead and give it a try anyway. What is there to lose? Sometimes it’s the things we’ve never tried before that become our new favorite obsessions. Put yourself out there and see what you like and what you don’t. The pursuit of a new hobby is a wonderful form of self-discovery. You don’t know what you’ll learn until you’ve tried it out.

Below are a few ideas to help get you started on your path to your new favorite pastime.

• Yoga
• Golf
• Photography
• Cooking (sign up for a cooking class or two to help get you started)
• Model train building
• Running
• Gardening
• Blogging
• Calligraphy
• Writing
• Painting

And while you’re at it, check out these happy habits to make your day even better!

So What Will your New Hobby Be?

Have you started thinking about what your new hobby will be? Leave a comment below and let me know! I’m always looking for something new to try.

Happy Hobby Hunting!