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Along the way, I heldAnimal Crossingparties, playedDungeons & Dragons, and painted along with Bob Ross.
Amanda K Bailey
There were scrapbooks and board games, TikTok tutorials and trends.
(I baked exactly one loaf of bread, as was customary at the time.)
Im hardly unique in this regardlots of people lean on leisure activities for their many benefits.
Generally speaking, hobbies are awesome.
Because humanity is a rich tapestry, we all have different ideas of what constitutes a hobby.
So many things can fall under the hobby umbrella, frombirdwatchingto crocheting to rebuilding old cars.
For starters, doing something for pleasure engages your brains trusty reward system.
Finding hobbies you love is also a long-term investment in yourself.
On the other hand, people who experienced signs of depression were less likely to be engaged in hobbies.
But you probably dont need studies to tell you something that you know intuitively: Humans need recreational time.
Not to mention, hobbies also come with a lot of great side effects.
Okay, its not possible to give a hyper-detailed list ofevery possiblemental health benefit forevery possiblehobby that exists.
We could talk about the mindbody connection and the virtues of physical hobbies.
Or we could dig into the whopping body of research on the mental health benefits of art and creativity.
There are just so many hobbies!
And so many positive outcomes!
Where do we start!
No hobby?
Theres a chance youve gotten to this point and youre feeling guilty or stressed because you dont actuallyhavea hobby.
Or at least not one you really enjoy all that much.
Thats also good for you.
One final word on the benefits of hobbies: Dont force them!
You do the thing because you enjoy it!
We have no hobbies.
And we all deserve a little hobby we love just because.
