The Search For a Hobby: How to Select a Hobby Right for You
There are many reasons to have a hobby, and there are so many options for hobbies that hobbies are great for any age. Hobbies are something we have to engage ourselves and increase our time spent enjoying life as well as something we encourage our loved ones and friends to have for that sense of pride in something we do. Overall, having a hobby improves our emotional health.
You or someone you are encouraging to find a hobby can start a hobby at any time. In particular, the Christmas season is a great time to start a hobby. Why Christmas? Well, you can ask for gifts to kick off your hobby or give gifts to others to help them start a hobby. Let’s dive into some reasons we get a hobby.
Some specific reasons for deciding to find a hobby or have a hobby are below, but there really is no wrong answer for wanting a hobby.
BOREDOM
If you find yourself bored and always looking for something to do, a hobby is a great way to engage yourself. Boredom is also a key reason parents assist their children in having hobbies. Bored children tend to drive everyone around them crazy and get themselves into trouble, ensuring our children have an activity to entertain themselves ensures less boredom and healthy engagement.
Boredom is also a common experience that leads or contributes to obesity for children and adults. So if you are looking to eat a little less, maybe avoid snacking between meals, then a hobby is a great distraction to keep you too busy to snack. Next time you think about snacking try a hobby from the list below instead.
KEEPING YOURSELF OUT OF TROUBLE
If you have habits that tend to get you in trouble or know a child/teen that tends to get themself in trouble redirecting your or their energy with a habit that is not trouble can help keep you or them out of trouble. Just find a hobby that needs regular attention or attention particularly during the moments that you tend to find yourself in trouble. For example if you tend to get into trouble mainly at night time, then maybe try a hobby like astronomy, where you spend your nights stargazing or searching for constellations.
You can also try a hobby specific to curving the trouble you get into. For example, if you or someone else you know always gets into trouble for breaking things, then have them start with a hobby where they are refinishing or repairing things. They could take up refinishing old furniture others throw away or repairing electronics like computers. There are also courses you can take on-line or in person for those hobbies so you are socially engaged while trying the new hobby.
NETWORKING
This is the reason I desire a hobby. Selecting the right kind of hobby can lead to new connections and help create new friendships, as well as give you a topic to casually discuss during business small talk. Being able to speak passionately about a topic(your hobby) you have a lot of knowledge around is a great way to make you the person at work or in a group that stands out as interesting. The more you put yourself out there the more you have to talk about. New connections can also lead to new opportunities to further develop your professional skills or advance your career.
PASSION
If you have a passion for an activity then why not invest regular time into the activity, and make it your hobby? Typically, doing what you are passionate about makes you happy, so do it. Or maybe you are struggling to get up in the morning bored with the same career and social activities you’ve done for years. If this is the case, try new hobbies to find a new passion that makes you excited to get up in the morning.
HEALTH
Some of us myself included, struggle to stay active, and as a result struggle to stay physically healthy. If you are one of those types of individuals then selecting a physically active hobby and committing to it really pays off for your health. As mentioned above having a hobby to focus your attention on can also curve unhealthy snacking between meals. So even if you choose a non-physical hobby, if you curve the guilty pleasure(s) contributing to your health concerns, the hobby can help you reach your health goals.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Research shows that as you get older keeping your mind agile can reduce the mental deterioration that many experience. A new hobby will give you new knowledge to learn and practice, and the mental action of learning will contribute to your mental activity and agility. By continuing to learn and challenging your knowledge, your brain will stay healthier longer than if you do not continue to learn and challenge your knowledge.
REKINDLING A RELATIONSHIP
After years of a relationship many challenges come about that can make it difficult for individuals to remain as strongly connected as they once were when the relationship first started. Selecting a new hobby to take-up with another individual or individuals can help rebuild a connection as you learn something new with them and spend time enjoying the activity together. The trick here will be finding hobbies that both individuals are willing to try and commit to for a month or so to discover if it’s right for you both. Hobbies done with others can surprise us, suddenly we find activities that we did not like, engaging because of the social interaction. So, do not be scared to try something you didn’t think you would like, especially when trying the hobby with someone.
REDUCE STRESS
Selecting the right hobby can reduce the amount of stress in your life by helping you to relax. Research has shown that many activities considered to be hobbies reduce stress by helping individuals to relax. Some well known hobbies that are reported to reduce stress include the following: gardening, yoga, painting, biking etc., it really depends on the individual. Simply said, just choose a hobby that brings you joy. If it’s not that easy for you another option is to select a physical hobby. Physical hobbies like yoga, gardening, swimming etc., release chemicals in our body that contribute to overall less stress when done regularly and consistently.
No matter your reason for wanting to find a hobby the first step is to choose a hobby. Consider finding a hobby a process as opposed to a one time choice. You might try multiple hobbies before you find one that fits into your life/your schedule, and that you enjoy. Try to select ten hobbies that you are interested in. Then, if one doesn’t work out you don’t find yourself frustrated and ready to forget about having a hobby, just move on to the next hobby on your list.
An example of the process to finding a hobby is to start the hobby process with a plan to try a different hobby every other month or a duration of your choosing. In this example you would commit to a hobby 1-2 hours a week for two months and see how it goes. Then plan to try the next hobby for two months, etc., and throughout the process you would keep a journal of the pros and cons for each hobby you try. You will want to try to fill out the pros and cons list for the hobby as you are trying it, waiting until after you’ve tried multiple hobbies can be confusing. It can be your year of discovery, trying 6 different hobbies to find the hobby you like best. Then you can spend the next several years mastering your hobby and enjoying your time.
When selecting a hobby you don’t want to add stress to your life, a hobby should be an activity that brings you joy. Take the time to consider stress factors in your life, and if a hobby is connected to the stress factor in your life try to steer clear of it. For example, if being away from your home causes you anxiety and stress then select a hobby or hobbies that you can do at home. If you are stressed about money then try hobbies that you do not need to purchase “stuff” for, for example steer clear of hobbies like boating and painting if you don’t have a boat or a way to get your boat to a water area or do not have paint supplies.
A good way to avoid financial stress as the result of a hobby is to budget for your hobby. Plan in advance how much money you can spend on trying hobbies and ultimately investing in an on-going hobby. Then stick to that budget. For details on how to budget visit How to Budget in 6 Easy Steps, The Girl Ninja Style.
Some budget friendly hobbies for the affordable crowd include: walking or running, kick-ball as a sport, bird watching, writing, drawing, animals(volunteering), learning a foriegn language (Duolingo is a great and free app to learn a new language).
Below you can find lists of hobbies to consider in the following categories: active, outdoor, artsy/crafty, and miscellaneous. Enjoy the journey!
ACTIVE HOBBIES
Purchases To Help Get You Started With An Active Hobby
OUTDOOR HOBBIES
Purchases To Help Get You Started With An Outdoor Hobby
ARTSY/CRAFTY HOBBIES
Purchases To Help Get You Started With An Artsy/Crafty Hobby
MISCELLANEOUS HOBBIES
Purchases To Help Get You Started With A Miscellaneous Hobby
Just remember that this isn’t a one size fit all. Everyone’s journey to finding a hobby is unique. Take your time to learn more about yourself as you explore hobbies and when you are ready commit to a hobby that brings you happiness.
The Girl Ninja