Hobbies

hobby: something you do in your leisure time because you enjoy it.

There are a lot of articles explaining the importance of having hobbies, how they can can be beneficial to our health. For instance, Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being, Health Benefits of Hobbies, and Why Having a Little Hobby Is So Good for You, According to Science. I agree with the author of the last article. She ends with,

And despite all the positive aspects of hobbies, remember that they don’t have to be “beneficial” to be worth your time. You do the thing because you enjoy it! Too often, we convince ourselves that we have to Be Productive and prioritize Important Things, like making money, improving our skills, advancing in our careers, etc. And then we wind up monetizing our hobbies, putting pressure on ourselves, and sucking the fun right out of them, and what do you know? We have no hobbies. And we all deserve a little hobby we love just because.

I can relate to that. Not about monetizing, but putting pressure on ourselves. As I’ve said, this picture surprised and moved me:

Instead of inspiring me, it stopped me cold for a bit. I no longer wanted to play around with drawing… I could never draw something I liked as well. How dumb was that? I waited for a day or two until that mood passed. I’m now back to being a little kid, playing around with a beginner’s mind.

Do you have any hobbies? Sandra/Mad Snapper talks about one of hers in this post. She illustrates how powerful a resource a hobby can be.

October 27, 2024