Living Your Best Life: Finding a Hobby You Love

Hobbies are the best, hands down. There is nothing better than turning off all your thoughts and stresses about work or the world and turning to something you love. Whether your hobby is fitness, crafting, or singing, it is one of the best ways to distress after long days behind a desk or on your feet.

Lately, I have been incredibly stressed with work, home, and everything in between. I have been allowing myself to get caught up in the little things, and I can feel the negative impact this has had on my well being. I feel sluggish, my heart rate is higher than normal, and my brain is in a fog, unable to focus on anything important. I am just not in the right space, and one of the main reasons for that is I haven’t allowed myself the opportunity to shut off the world and live in something I love. Live in a hobby that brings me joy.

Now, I have a lot of hobbies, probably a little too many if you ask me, but I am just the type of person that wants to try everything. I want to get my hands on everything so I am sure of what I love and what I don’t. Not all hobbies are going to be winners, and not all winning hobbies are going to be normal. Get into the weird and unique. You can find something truly special to yourself, and you might actually transform your life.

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What should I pick for a hobby?

You can pick everything and anything that interest you. Seriously, there is a whole world of hobbies out there. Try some, see which ones you like best. Here are a few I can think of, but there are millions more! You just need to research

1. Playing an instrument
2. Drawing
3. Painting
4. Crocheting/Knitting
5. Reading
6. Jogging
7. Bullet Journaling
8. Dancing
9. Gardening
10. Sewing
11. Cooking/Baking
12. Collecting (stamps, rubber ducks, old Polaroids, etc.)
13. Nail art
14. Jewelry making
15. Woodshop
16. Interior designing
17. Organizing
18. Geocaching
19. Photography
20. Thrifting

Seriously, there are about one million hobbies out there for you to chose from. Your options are endless, so get looking and find something you enjoy.

And, whichever hobby you choose, it does not need to become a career. There are so many people saying that if you love what you do, it won’t be like working. This is so true, and it is so important to find what you are passionate about and try to make a career out of that. But it is also important to have something that you do for fun. No money, no expectations, just fun. If you put too much pressure on your hobby, it will no longer be fun. So, let me repeat…

Your hobby does not have to turn into a career. It can be just for fun!

But I’m no good at my hobby, what do I do?

SO WHAT? You do not have to be an expert piano player in order to enjoy creating music. This is something that I struggle with every day, but let me tell you, you do not have to be good at your hobby for it to be valid!

If that were, the case, I would have quit gardening a long time ago, because I have killed plenty of plants. PLENTY! But instead of getting angry and quitting, I told myself that I liked taking care of my plant babies, I enjoy watching them grow, so I will continue doing it no matter what my brain is trying to tell me.

It definitely has everything to do with society. We have been raised to believe perfection is the goal of everything and that is just false and detrimental to our growth as humans. I love to draw, and something my finished projects are… horrible. but who does it hurt if I keep drawing anyway? I am doing it for myself and I am doing it for fun!

Why should I even have a hobby, I am so busy already?

And the answer to this folks, is your MENTAL HEALTH.

We need to start treating our mental health with the same importance of our physical health because it is all one body.

I have been in those places where I am too busy for anything. I don’t have time for fun, there is too much to be done. But let me tell you, when you are stuck in those ruts, when all you are doing is work work work, you are going to get burned out… really fast.

The best way I have found to avoid that burn out is to take breaks. Breaks to watch TV and veg are great. I do them all the time. But sometimes, it is such a powerful feeling to take a break and do something productive. It keeps your motivation up and helps you feel better.

I promise, just try it. Take a break from writing up that report, or worrying about all the things you need to get done, and practice an instrument, or learn a new dance move. You will feel so much better, and that mental fog we have all been fighting since March might just ease up, if only a little bit.

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With all this talk on hobbies, I’m ready to go grab a canvas and paint a picture. It has been so hot these past couple weeks, I think i just might take my hobby outside, with a nice ice cold glass of lemonade and an umbrella over my head. And don’t forget the sunscreen!

What are some of your favorite hobbies? Like I said at the beginning of this post, I love trying my hand at anything and everything, so I am always looking for a nice new hobby to try out. I really want to start playing the piano! I have always loved that instrument and would love to just sit down and learn.