5 life-nurturing reasons to enjoy a hobby

Explore the benefits of making time to pursue your interests.

Updated:: 2009-10-18 21:10

Published:: 2004-10-18 00:00

By: Lisa Martin

Get a hobby: Tips 1 and 2

Writer Anna Quidlen sums it up nicely: "You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are." Most people I know want a life -- a life that includes work but is not completely dominated by it. We want to be fully engaged in, and feel passionate about all aspects of our lives. Yet we often find it difficult to give ourselves permission to pursue our interests -- activities or hobbies -- outside of work and family obligations. Perhaps we think engaging in our hobbies is too self-indulgent or not important and we fail to create adequate space and time for them.

But when you take up a hobby, whether it's training for your first 10K run, singing in a choir or creating funky jewelry in your spare time, you reap the benefits of inspirational self-nurturing. Helping you to find a better balance and more meaning in your life, hobbies make you feel good. Here are five great reasons to stop procrastinating and start that hobby you've been contemplating.

1. To play and feel lighter
Playing means enjoying yourself for more than a minute or two, for the sole purpose of finding pleasure. It's something you do just for you and it makes you feel good physically. Just look at children to remind yourself of the magical powers of play. When kids play you can see, hear and feel their happiness and contentment - it practically vibrates off them. As we grow older, we often lose our playtime to the responsibilities of adulthood - working hard and being productive, striving to make a difference and tending to others. Yet, when you make playing a priority in the form of a hobby, you can face life and work with more enthusiasm and lightness.

2. To become more interesting and interested
Expanding your interests allows you to focus on things outside of your normal routine. Hobbies beat out boredom. There is excitement and challenge in learning how to paint, write short stories or sail. Committing to a hobby, whether it's adventure travelling or joining a book club, will give you something to look forward to and spur you on to achieve greater goals. When you participate in an activity that is engaging, your passion and enthusiasm becomes contagious and makes you more interesting to others.

Page 1 of 2

Print
E-mail