We all know how the day-to-day life can exhaust us to such a level that at the end of the day we no longer know who we are. Remember that moment when you were looking for a job that could pay for theatre tickets or movie tickets and that expensive trip to Iceland that you could never afford? And now you get home at 7 p.m. after a nine to five job and you try to motivate yourself to take a shower.
Let’s not linger in this state much longer or we are on a highway to a depression that we did not ask for. So what can you do about it? It’s actually pretty ironic, if you ask me, because the answer is right there, in the middle of all the frustration and tiredness: get yourself a hobby!
I know now you are looking at the screen somewhere around the lines of “Ok, you have to be kidding me, I just told you I am very stressed and tired” Yes, indeed you have. And guess what, the answer lies right in your impossibility of engaging due to your tiredness. So basically, the way you can overcome your situation is through becoming more active.
1. Do you already have a hobby?
Guess what? If your answer is no, you are part of that 73% that gave the same answer. And now your brain goes like “Ok, but I am not good at anything, I am not good at chess and I always disliked sports, so what can I do?” First of all, don’t worry, you are not the only one in this situation. And we don’t live in such a modern era for nothing. There’s a hobby out there for everyone.
You have to think of hobbies rather in lines of “fun” than “have to be good at”. Hobbies are not meant to give you further headaches. You already have your job and personal life for that. When you say the word “hobby” you instantly have to correlate it with “relaxation” and “enjoyable”.
2. What should I choose?
Besides the fact that hobbies are meant to bring a smile on your face, they should also awaken your mind. And I do not mean this in order to burden your brain further. Having a creative hobby is meant to engage you. When you get engaged, you are more likely to stop thinking about that meeting that you are going to have next week or about that email that you have to send tomorrow. When you actively participate in whatever activity, you offer yourself a breath of fresh air.
Also, you probably know yourself better than anyone else. So you already know whether you are an introvert or you prefer to have people around. In case you are part of the first group, you are most likely to choose a hobby that you can pursue individually. Being amongst people will only lower your batteries. However, if you are an extrovert, you are going to constantly look for company in order to set your mind free.
This should not represent a barrier. Dare to challenge yourself! Maybe people is exactly what you need. Maybe you work all day in front of a laptop with your headsets plugged in. Meeting new people could represent a scary thing that you do not wish to tackle. Therefore, through taking part in something you also have the possibility of meeting more like minded folks.
For instance, you could enroll in some cycling or trekking group. The pressure of socializing is not so high because you can just walk on your own path in silence, however, given that you aim for interaction you can always make it more fun by connecting with the other participants.
3. No pressure!
If this is the first time in your life that you try to engage in some sort of activity, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Just think of all the times when you got home and, well, did nothing. So start with baby steps. Take each day 10, 15 minutes in order to find out more information about the activity you might be interested in. find out details at first, go to the meeting place or try to connect with other colleagues maybe. Then give yourself a well-deserved break.
When you see fit, go a little further, take a one day hike, for instance. Go to one actual cooking class or be an observer in the theatre club. However, bear in mind that this should all be relaxing even if at times it doesn’t seem so. Your mind required a bit of time to get used to these new instances. Allow your mind to familiarize itself and it will slowly start to cooperate.
4. Some actual ideas, maybe?
Yes, of course, let’s get down to facts. There are various categories for hobbies. Don’t roll your eyes now, it’s not that difficult as it sounds.
If you are looking to sharpen your mind through various logical exercises and games, then maybe crossword puzzles, card games, chess, participating in a new language course, learning a new ability such as painting, drawing or writing, might be the answers for you.
If you are looking for something a little bit more active, you can always try hiking, as I suggested above. Also, biking, scuba diving, boating, mountain climbing, dancing, swimming or skiing might seem appealing.
If you are more of a science geek, do not worry. We have a couple of ideas for you as well. You always wanted to learn more about astronomy, no? You can also build model rockets, take part in a programming class (we are living in the IT era anyways), you can learn how to grow mushrooms or take part in a chemistry class and learn more about experiments.
And watch this! You can actually start being interested in something that afterwards can even bring money in your pockets. How awesome is that? Here I mean freelance writing, crafting, carpentry, graphic design, photography and so much more.
If you are into collecting things (and here I do not mean frustrations, no) you can start with collecting books, coin, pins, antiques and basically whatever might catch your interest. The good thing about this is that once you started your collection you can share ideas with others. You can even share objects and exchange them.
Arts have always been intriguing but you just do not feel that you could start from somewhere. No worries. If you’re on the artsy side of things, you can easily get into painting, home baking, reading, drawing, candle making, sewing, gardening, interior design, writing and even knitting.
As I mentioned above, if you are into socializing, here are some ideas that you might find useful: wine tasting, board games, bingo evenings, bowling or you can even enroll in a book club.
If you are into music, do not worry about the fact that until this age you did not discover some hidden talent for some instrument. You can enjoy your passion through other means as well. Of course, you can start taking a course in some instrument that has always interested you. No need to become the next Jimmy Hendrix. If you’re looking for something lighter, keep in mind the concerts, learning about music theory or even band promotion.
If you want to spend your free time with helping others, well, you are pretty amazing. Here are some ideas of what you might do in order to give back: you can volunteer at a local community, you can become a mentor, an activist or aim for helping the environment.
There are plenty more ideas out there. But basically, don’t overthink this. Whatever feels right at first, give it a try. If at a second glance it turns out not be what you signed up for, no worries, as you can see, the list is long. There are dozens of choices that are awaiting your interest.
What you have to focus on is giving yourself that initial push that take you out from your comfort zone and sets you free. Then all you have to do is wander through the sea of possibilities and relax, enjoy your life. Learn how to live again and learn how to disconnect your mind from the dress and frustration.
