Having a hobby you love can help reduce stress and increase your overall health and wellness. Hobbies positively impact your quality of life because they allow you to spend time doing something you enjoy instead of worrying about work or other responsibilities. That being said, hobbies can improve your work performance. When you have something you look forward to before or after work, you’re more fulfilled in all aspects of your life, including work. In addition, happiness from other areas of your life can spill into your work life, making you happier at your job and more productive.
Depending on your hobby, you can also learn valuable skills that can make you better at your job or life skills. For example, someone who writes their own short stories will likely have communication and writing skills that are attractive to an employer.
Having a hobby you enjoy can improve all aspects of your life, but many people don’t have a hobby. When you were a kid, you probably enjoyed doing numerous activities, but as you got older, you had less time for fun and gained new responsibilities. Fortunately, no matter how busy they are, anyone can find a hobby they love. Here’s how to find the right hobby for you.
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Consider What You Already Enjoy
You can turn just about anything into a hobby, especially activities you already enjoy. Ask yourself what you like to do for fun. Anything from snacking to watching YouTube videos can be turned into a hobby. We’re not saying you should continue spending all of your free time watching YouTube, but you can start making content to post on YouTube. Additionally, if you enjoy eating delicious food, you might also enjoy making it.
Cooking and creating content can be hobbies you enjoy before or after work and in between all of your other responsibilities. Depending on how much time you have to dedicate to your hobbies, you can find a recipe that takes less than a half-hour.
Remember Your Childhood
When you were a child, you probably had tons of hobbies because you had tons of free time. Now, you don’t have as much free time. If you want to find a hobby you enjoy, think back to your childhood and what hobbies you used to enjoy. For example, if you enjoyed art, you likely still enjoy it but just don’t know how to get back into it.
Revisiting the hobbies you loved as a child can help you find the right hobby for yourself as an adult. You might have graduated from finger painting only to find out you’re quite skilled with a brush.
Try Everything
Take every chance you have to try a new hobby. For example, if a friend invites you out to play disc golf and you’ve never played before, go with them to see if it’s something you enjoy. Hobbies, even hobbies you used to love, can be hit or miss. For example, someone who loves eating may find they don’t enjoy being the one who does the cooking.
Trying things when you have the opportunities can help you learn what types of activities you enjoy before turning them into a hobby. Remember, it’s okay to try something and not like it even if you thought you would.
Additionally, try hobbies you don’t think you’ll enjoy. You might surprise yourself and love a new activity you were never interested in before. For example, maybe you’ve never enjoyed painting, which made you believe you wouldn’t enjoy any type of art. Instead of giving up, consider trying different types of art and crafts, including woodworking, crafting, and working with clay.
Ask Friends
If your friends have hobbies, they can invite you to try their hobbies with them. For example, suppose you have a friend who enjoys yoga. In that case, If you’ve never taken a yoga class, consider asking the friend if you can tag along to their next session. By trying new things with people you’re comfortable with, you’re more likely to enjoy them.
Consider Healthy Choices
If you’re unsure how to start searching for a hobby, take a look at your current lifestyle. There are many healthy hobbies to choose from, such as cooking healthy meals, doing yoga, meditation, and other types of activities that can keep you healthy and feeling confident.
As we’ve said, any activity can be a hobby. For example, if you’ve realized you haven’t been taking good care of your skin, you can turn your favorite routine of skincare products into a hobby and ensure you’re cleansing and moisturizing with the proper products to ensure healthy skin.
Similarly, your exercise routine can also be considered a hobby, especially if it’s something you use to tune out the stress of your daily life and you enjoy your daily workouts.
Don’t Give Up Right Away
You can quickly become frustrated with a hobby if you’ve chosen one that requires you to develop skills to be good at it. For example, very few people are good at cooking right off the bat. Instead of giving up if you’re not good at something, try to enjoy the experience involved with having a hobby. The more you work at something, the better you’ll get at it. For example, if you’re attempting cooking for the first time, you might burn toast on day one, but in just a few short weeks, you’ll be cooking meals that everyone loves.
Of course, you should never continue a hobby you don’t love. Nobody wants to spend their free time doing something they don’t enjoy. However, consider why you’re not enjoying the activity before you completely quit.
Finding the Right Hobby
Finding the right hobby for you might take some trial and error. However, once you find something you enjoy, make it a part of your routine by setting aside time as often as possible to see the benefits. You can always spend a month doing a different hobby every week until you find one you want to devote more time to. From there you’ll be on the right track to discovering a new hobby or taking a trip down memory lane with an older hobby that brings you enjoyment.
Marné Amoguis
Marné Amoguis holds a B.A. in International Business from UC San Diego. She is a contributing writer at 365businesstips.com where she loves sharing her passion for digital marketing. Outside of writing, she loves traveling, playing music, and hiking.