Hobbies, oh how I love them!
In fact, I love them so much so, that I actually have a ton of hobbies. Not only do I have a ton of hobbies, but I’m constantly taking on new ones, revisit g old ones, and of course maintain a lot of my favorites. Some of my favorite hobbies include writing, reading, drawing, playing video games, watching anmie (Japanese cartoons), and discovering new music! If you don’t have any hobbies I only have one question for you, what are you doing with your life in your spare time!?!?!?
Before we jump into the importance of hobbies I want to make one thing clear. To have or consider something a hobby doesn’t mean it has to be crafty in any way possible. I feel like a lot of the time when people think of hobbies they think of arts and crafts, or anything that requires your hands to be moving. However, I’m here to tell you that this is totally false! A hobby is and can be anything that you find pure enjoyment in doing.
In addition to some of my favorite hobbies mentioned above, I also enjoy participating in the watching of YouTube videos, watching/catching up on TV/Netflix shows, going on long walks, and blogging of course!
As you can see not all of my favorite hobbies are what most people would consider “productive” and they most certainly do not require that I use my hands. I mean watching YouTube videos, and watching/catching up on TV/Netflix shows is not something that I would consider “productive”, but I do consider it to be productive in the sense that I am to some extent exercising my brain (I have to follow individual story lines by memory, it’s not as easy as it sounds when you watch a ton of shows!).
If I’m being honest, when I do participate in these hobbies I’m usually either in my bed, doing my hair and/or make-up, or at work trying to make the time go by faster.
So, in a sense I’m doing something unproductive that I enjoy doing (my hobby), while doing something productive at the same time. My point though is that to have a hobby doesn’t mean it has to be “productive”, or at least not the way most people would describe what it means to be productive. All a hobby is, is something that you love and enjoy and find peace and pleasure in doing. Which means that it can literally be anything and everything.
So why is it important to have hobbies? Well I can tell you five major reasons why.
You can crank in some much needed me-time
I preach about this all the time. It’s so important to set aside time just for yourself. Why? Well it helps us keep in tune with ourselves, it allows us to continue to learn and explore new things about ourselves, and it helps us maintain balance in our life. Balance between our own personal health and care, as well as the health and care of others, and work, and just dealing with the world in general is important.
Without that balance, we can lose touch with ourselves, our motives, our values, our morals, and the things that are important and meaningful to us. Therefore, having hobbies encourages the mind, body, and soul to constantly and consistently be reminded of what our motives, values, and morals are, and to remain in balance. Our hobbies allow us to step away when needed, and to regroup when ready.
It’s a great way to be social
Having a hobby connects you to a lot of people. The really special thing about a hobby is that since it can literally be anything that you find enjoyment in, there is literally at least one other person in this world who finds enjoyment in that very same thing. If you are anything like me and have major social anxiety, or you’re super shy, or just struggle with being social with others in general, having a hobby is a great way to break free from that. Hobbies connect people in the way of finding comfort in knowing you have a safe space where you can just be who you are, and know that people will be accepting of that.
It’s a fun way to learn something new about yourself
If you’re anything like me and you have multiple things that you find enjoyment in and would consider to be a hobby, you can never stop learning new things about yourself. The fun and exciting thing about participating in a hobby is that there is literally an unlimited amount of potential and exploration you can gain from doing so. You never know where adopting one hobby will lead you, and you can never anticipate the many different sides of you a new (or old) hobby will create out of you. It’s a great way to keep the mind active, to keep your soul young, and to keep people guessing about what make you uniquely you (including yourself).
You can get exposed to new things
Much like being able to learn something new about yourself you can expose yourself to new things. By actively participating in a hobby, or various hobbies, you may discover new things related or connected to that hobby (or hobbies) that you will come to learn you actually like. For example, when my mother started making candles I took a huge interest in it. So, I too started to make my own candles.
After about a month of candle making I soon discovered the art of soap making, which is very much the same process and requires the same materials as making a candle. Shortly after, I adopted the love (and hobby) of making soap, all because I allowed myself to explore one of the many possibilities that candle making could reveal to me. You too may be able to find yourself in this same position with a hobby that you love.
You keep your creative side alive
It’s hard and sometimes challenging to keep our creative juices flowing. However, a great way to make sure that they are still actively working is to constantly keep that creative side of you alive. I like to think of this as keeping the kid in me alive, refusing to grow up just because someone says I have to. Since I have adopted this mindset, I find it very easy (and refreshing) for me to be attracted to a lot of arts and crafts projects, such as coloring and making things by hand.
The more I participate in these kinds of activities, the more fulfillment I find that I am finding in doing so. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s totally ok to have “adult” hobbies, but the type of hobby and specifically what that hobby is, is all dependent upon the things that you find an interest in. Acting upon those interests and choosing to keep them alive, and allowing yourself to explore and find new interests, will help you keep your creative side alive.
There you have it! My top five major reasons as to why it’s important to have a hobby (or hobbies). Honestly guys, from one socially awkward person to possibly another, it’s hard to really get out there and be a part of the world the way you want to. You’re constantly thinking about how you’re coming off to others, or what others might think of you. Or maybe you’re constantly trying to make a good impression on others instead of just trusting that the only person you have to please in life is yourself.
Whatever your reasons may be as to why you may or may not be afraid to put yourself out there, hobbies make it easy to do just that. It automatically creates something between you and a hundred-other people that you all can relate to. All you have to do is trust that you are enough, and that no matter how awkward, weird, or boring you may think you and your hobby is, just know that someone else out there is thinking the same thing. Let that be the bridge that connects you.
I mean talk about an ice breaker! Right?
See you soon!
-Xo
Kimora