Picking Up a Hobby Makes You Happy
Finding a hobby or the time to explore one is often a challenging endeavor in this fast-paced, ever-changing world. However, in the process of everyone striving to improve their productivity levels, we frequently overlook the importance of taking some time to enjoy ourselves. While increasing one’s wealth may look glamorous in some people’s eyes, the ability to enjoy a work-life balance is becoming increasingly important to the younger generations.
Ask yourself: When was the last time you did something you sincerely love? When was the last time you enjoyed yourself? What makes you truly happy or provides you with meaning and fulfillment in life? If you have trouble answering these questions, it may be time to explore a new hobby!
Picking up a hobby may provide you with brand-new insight on how to live your life more happily. According to an article posted on Discovery Magazine, picking up hobbies, no matter what kind, is beneficial to a healthy mental state. This is because when you do something you enjoy, you experience a state of mindfulness, which is a moment where you’re fully aware of what you are doing and derive joy from it.
National Hobby Month
According to National Today, a website featuring obscure holidays and related history, the etymology of the word “hobby” originated in England back in the 16th century. While hobby originally meant “a small horse and pony,” it now stands for the time spent on leisure and recreation. Every January, during National Hobby Month, thousands of Americans celebrate their favorite hobbies and try out new activities. To look into how hobbies improve living quality, I’ve interviewed a few people across the generations who picked up hobbies in their hectic schedules.
Hobbies in High School
Laetitia Yip, a senior high school student, enjoys the state of mindfulness whenever she plays the violin. “When I was young, my parents forced me to learn violin because they thought that it’s better to learn a skill,” she said. “I didn’t really like playing violin since it requires a lot of effort. However, when I grew up, I started to enjoy the music that I played and felt the surge of satisfaction every time I picked up my violin.”
Being a high school student means a packed schedule filled with assignments, quizzes, and SAT preparation. When asked about how she managed to maintain a balance between schoolwork and music, she said with a smile on her face, “It doesn’t matter how much time I spend on playing the violin. The motivation driving me to play music is that I need some relaxation and rejuvenation after school. Playing the violin is the only way I feel relieved and recharged.”
To have a better-looking resume, some parents force their children to learn different skills to be well-equipped to compete with others. Unfortunately, forcing children to pick up a skill doesn’t inherently motivate them to keep doing it. However, when a child manages to enjoy their craft as a hobby, they start to practice it from a place of passion. And they often sustain the hobby throughout their life.
Maintaining Hobbies as a Working Adult
While you can still squeeze out some time to do the things you like when you are a student, you have less spare time with a heavier workload as an adult. For example, you may have to deal with your boss after work, attend college classes after your shift at work, take care of your newborn baby at midnight, or even console your best friend as she goes through a tough breakup. So how can you pick up a hobby with life as stressful as it is?
Hong Tang, a white-collar working in the medical field, is adamant about maintaining his hobby. “One of my life mottos is hobby always comes before work.” Hong believes that keeping a hobby is the antidote to confronting this fast-paced world.
Although he has to take shifts on weekdays and; sometimes even on weekends, he never skips his basketball night with his friends. “I do sports at least three times a week. I play basketball, soccer, badminton, and any sport you can name. If my friends cannot make it on our basketball night, I will go to the gym alone,” he said. “I feel like sports are the core of my life. It is more than a hobby, but the only way I can recharge my mind and create strong bonds with others.”
Finding a hobby is beneficial for working adults as it provides relaxation after a hectic working schedule. Moreover, it recharges your mind and body while providing a platform to meet like-minded people and make new friends.
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Finding Joy in Retirement
Having spent decades working and raising a family, retiring often means that you finally have time to do something you genuinely enjoy. Retirement doesn’t symbolize being obsolete but passionate about pursuing the spark in life.
As a 65-year-old retired real estate agent, Travis Smith spends most of his time practicing for the upcoming triathlon tournament since he retired. “I didn’t have time to do it before retiring. Now, I can finally enjoy doing something I like!” he said with sparkling eyes and an excited voice.
Smith’s family worries about his health since triathlons require a tremendous amount of physical endurance. Smith reassures their concern by waking up at six every morning to practice running, swimming, and cycling. While it looks grueling in everyone’s eyes, Smith enjoys his training and never skips a day, even on weekends.
“Picking up hobbies makes me feel young again,” he said. “I spent over 40 years working in the office, and now I am finally able to embrace my life, to enjoy every single moment that I have, and to achieve something I am devoted to.” Smith doesn’t aim at winning any medal in the tournament. The only goal that he sets for himself is to finish the whole race.
Age does not constrain you from chasing your dream. Smith finds his motivation and meaning in life through his hobby. Training for the triathlon provides him with a sense of satisfaction, self-fulfillment, and better physical health. Doing something you truly enjoy does make you healthier, both mentally and physically.
Finding a Hobby That Brings You Joy
Playing music and sports are just the tip of the iceberg regarding hobbies people can easily pick up. You don’t need to buy a grand piano to learn an instrument or have a private pool in your house to swim. Instead, you can simply sing a song with YouTube music or go to the nearest basketball court. Take a class at your local rec center or look up groups online that work on various projects that might pique your interest. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, there’s no right or wrong way to explore a hobby!
With the world turned upside-down because of the pandemic, when lives are slipping away every day, and you can no longer live in a world without social distancing and masks, why don’t you start reflecting on your lifestyle and making a change of it? Try to find a hobby! Read a book, draw a portrait, listen to music, jog every morning, or do whatever makes you happy and gives you fulfillment.
I believe spending time on something you genuinely love is conducive to physical and mental health. When we treat our mental and physical health as the most important things in our world, we thrive as human beings.
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