Did you know that according to Quora, some of the most pursued hobbies in India include dancing and photography? Having a hobby that you enjoy doing in your spare time is important, as it can not only help you learn new skills, meet new people, and have fun, but can also have a positive impact on your mental health.
A recent study, conducted at Cambridge University, found that older people who regularly take part in leisure activities are less likely to develop cognitive impairments, such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Having a hobby to take part in regularly can be beneficial to people of all ages, and has been linked with improvements relating to many aspects of mental health.
Hobbies for Stress-Relief
In this modern-day, fast-paced environment, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by all the different commitments you have to deal with, which can lead to many people feeling increasingly stressed. Fortunately, some hobbies, such as listening to music, reading a book, or practicing yoga can be really helpful in helping take your mind off the event or situation that is causing you to become stressed, and subsequently, reduce your levels of stress and anxiety.
In addition to helping take your mind off difficult or distressing things occurring elsewhere in your life, another benefit to having a hobby outside of your other commitments is that certain types of hobby can also help to increase your self-esteem, which is beneficial for a number of reasons.
Investing time in a creative hobby, such as painting, drawing, pottery, or gardening can increase self-esteem, and satisfaction with oneself – being able to produce something you are proud of can be really important in increasing your levels of self-confidence. Alternatively, taking up a sporting hobby where you can set concrete goals (such as running your first 10k), and then achieve them, can give you a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement.
Hobbies for Happiness and Well-Being
As well as leading to noticeable improvements in stress and self-esteem, one of the other main benefits of engaging in a hobby you enjoy is that it can simply make you happier – more energetic, enthusiastic, and excited about life. Recent research in students has found that engaging in leisure activities is linked with experiencing more positive emotion.
There appears to be growing body of evidence that having a hobby you enjoy can have a really positive impact on many different aspects of your mental health. However, with so many options, it can often be difficult to decide which new hobby to take up.
Finding a New Hobby
Fortunately, there are a lot of ways in which you can find a new hobby to enjoy. Maybe your new hobby could be linked to something you already enjoy doing (or enjoyed when you were younger), or, you could take advantage of the wide variety of subscription boxes and classes that are available, and try something completely new.
Whatever you chose, having a hobby that you enjoy doing can give you the opportunity to add a lot of positive experiences to your life, whether this be improving your self-esteem and self-confidence, finding a new group of friends who enjoy the same things you do, or simply spending more of your time doing something you love!
