Have you ever felt like you’re living life on repeat: wake up, go to school, do homework, sleep, repeat? Or maybe all your free time is going to mindless scrolling. We often get lost in our day-to-day mundanities that we begin to feel bored, or like we need an escape.
What if all you need is a hobby?
According to Utah State University Assistant Professor Emma Parkhurst, hobbies not only fill your time, but also provide valuable health impacts. Hobbies can reduce stress, improve social connections and create more positive moods.
Hobbies are also a great way to add a little bit of flavor to your day. Whether you’re learning a new skill or getting out in nature, hobbies will always provide you with a story to tell your friends or a cool fun fact when you’re introducing yourself to people. In a world where social media is so prevalent in our daily lives, it’s easy to get swept up in the watching lives of other people and starting to compare yourself to strangers on the internet or even your friends. But, with having your own unique hobbies, it can reduce the possible envy or comparison to others. It’s not as easy to compare yourself to others as you are doing new and cool things everyday.
When we’re intentional about which hobbies we choose to fill our time with, we often improve our life beyond our health and wellness too. According to author and podcaster Alyssa Smith, engaging yourself in five different types of hobbies that you love can help you live a more meaningful, balanced life across facets of finances, fitness, creativity, knowledge, and mindset.
To curate your five hobbies for a better lifestyle, start with finding five hobbies you love, and seeing how they fit into these areas.
- One to make you money
This hobby is closer than you think! A money-making hobby can be something as simple as your job or career. Finding something that you really enjoy, something that you love waking up for and committing to every day gives you a goal. Making tangible progress toward that goal can give you a sense of achievement. By making money to put towards the other facets of your life, you can support the things that make you happy, like your other hobbies!
- One to keep you creative
A study by University of Connecticut professor James Kaufman found that “Writing narratives or memoirs, creating art, or finding a unique creative passion may help someone make sense of their own life, experience joy in the present moment, manage existential worries about death and leave a legacy for future generations.”
Having a creative outlet is critical to stimulating the parts of your brain that may not be used as often. When you tap into your creative side, you open yourself up to more opportunities and feelings. We learn to experience joy as it happens by creating something that is wholly and uniquely our own. We experiment, let ourselves figure out what works and what doesn’t, and make a tangible product that we can feel proud of. We find positivity through progress.
- One to build your knowledge
This may seem like a given if you’re a student. After all, doesn’t doing homework, studying for tests, and even just going to school build your knowledge?
Yes, but being intentional about learning is what sets a hobby apart from your daily learning responsibilities. Choosing the kind of content you consume—whether that’s self-help podcasts, philosophy books, documentaries, or even just reading the news stories from around the world—builds your knowledge base. When we learn about the world around us, we become more independent, aware and involved in our society. We can make informed decisions and engage in deeper connections.
- One to keep you healthy
Working out may seem like a big feat for some people, perhaps not even enjoyable enough to qualify as a hobby. But there are multiple ways to keep yourself healthy. Taking a short walk around your community can help maintain your weight, reduce health risks, and can help increase your lifespan. Making nutritious meals keeps you strong and boosts your immunity. Even just drinking enough water and getting enough sleep can put you in a more positive mood. Being healthy doesn’t have to be hard; it just has to keep your body in good condition. And luckily, it’s never too late to start.
- One to evolve your mindset
This hobby relies heavily on the fact that we all require a growth mindset to make it in our world. We are a sum of all that we learn and unlearn. We constantly learn and grow, figuring out more about ourselves and the world through our everyday interactions. Evolving your mindset makes you better equipped to handle the hard days, and to learn to appreciate the good days. Making mindset changes seems difficult. Journaling and meditation are great outlets that get you to reflect on your life. But sometimes, this hobby just means sitting in a room with yourself, with no distractions, and just thinking. Getting to know yourself is key to evolving your mindset, however you choose to go about it.
Hobbies in these five areas often intersect. Being creative and gaining knowledge can help you evolve your mindset; mindset shifts can stimulate new financial and health habits. In combination, five hobbies will help you increase the quality and positivity in your life. By doing this you can break the cycle of living a mundane life and get excited to do these hobbies every day.
