This past week, I began to read a little again. I had always loved to read but somewhere in the pandemic with increased screen time, I had stopped reading. But of course, it was still there on my hobbies resumè.
The book I had picked up was ‘The Book Thief’. I must have not read barely two pages when I felt this wave of joy inside me. It felt like being reunited with an old friend. It was a hug of good ol’ familiarity. I realized how much I loved reading and what I was missing when I had stopped reading.
Interestingly, I wasn’t the only one to rekindle my love for my hobby. My aunt who was visiting us over the holidays also rediscovered her love for crochet. I was showing her some of the crochet stuff I had made and she asked if she could have a crochet hook too. It took her some time to recall her way through but she was at it in basically no time.
What got me thinking amidst all the hobby rediscovering was, how do we forget about the love we have for our hobbies?
Hobbies afterall, are more than activities you do in your spare time. They are a part of who you are. You spend time on them because you enjoy them, they make you happy. It is not just about the activity but also about the process and the way it makes you feel inside.
Hobbies give us a sense of identity. They show our personality to others and allow people to understand what we are made of and what we stand for.
They help to relieve stress by keeping you engaged in something you enjoy. A hobby can also relieve boredom by keeping you busy.
Having a hobby helps you meet new people, expand your network and keep your social skills active. They are all part of self-care. Not only do they help to keep us healthy both physically and mentally, they also instill patience, discipline, concentration and confidence.
It’s no wonder that hobbies can boost your self-assurance and confidence. They give you something to be passionate about, which in turn makes the world seem less scary!
Investing your time in a hobby makes you develop new skills and increase your knowledge in the said field.
Loving something gives you an unseen perspective on life and things and challenges you to think beyond your daily routine.
Most importantly, hobbies prevent you from wasting your time and getting into bad habits.
What are your hobbies?