Hobbies can often be seen as unimportant – but the values a person gets from pursuing a passion should never be ignored.
Our society places a lot of importance on the importance of work and career, especially among the boomer generation. They are a hard-working age group who take pride in their jobs, and that’s something to be admired. But sometimes when so much focus is put on the professional side of one’s life, what they do outside of work is neglected. Make no mistake – your hobbies are important.
Hobbies can sometimes be seen as frivolous or a waste of time. However, just because something is done as a pastime, doesn’t mean it doesn’t add value to your life. Embracing something you’re passionate about can have a number of benefits and that should not be dismissed. So if you’ve avoided seeking out a hobby or not given yours enough of your time, learn why you need your hobbies.
Gives you more personality.
While work is an important part of our lives, it doesn’t define who we are. So much of our personality comes from our passions and interests. When we deny ourselves the opportunity to explore those passions, we’re denying a big part of our personality. Now, personality can be a bit of an abstract thing. It seems like something you just have without any effort. But not allowing yourself hobbies can cause you to hide away big parts of your personality. It changes how you interact with people and how you enjoy yourself. Embracing your passions let’s your personality shine through.
Improves your confidence.
When we get older, a lack of confidence is something we don’t usually address anymore. Achieving so much in terms of your career and overall life makes it seem like you should have all the confidence in the world. However, if we’re honest with ourselves, everyone suffers those low-confidence moments. Maybe it’s when we’re trying something new that we’re unsure of or maybe it’s the result of a failure. The thing is that these are not always life-changing moments. It can be a small feeling that gradually has you avoiding taking risks. Hobbies help to keep that confidence in those trying times. It gives you goals to pursue and that you want to see through to the end. While the stakes might seem low, putting your effort towards something and seeing it through gives you that sense of accomplishment that has you ready to take on the next challenge.
Helps to relieve stress.
Just as with a lack of confidence, we all have those stressful times in our lives. While there are a number of effective ways to deal with this, it makes sense that in order to escape the negative, you should surround yourself with the positive. Hobbies may be the most productive form of stress relief. Immersing yourself in something you genuinely enjoy can really help to lift away all those bad feelings that are keeping you down. It offers a distraction while giving your mind something positive and self-affirming to focus on. It’s not a trick or a temporary solution. It’s losing yourself in something that brings you joy to the point that what ever is bothering you fades away.
Build new relationships.
We’ve previously discussed how important relationships are at this stage of our lives. That means old relationships and new. However, as an adult, it can be difficult to find ways to meet new people, especially people you share interests with. Here, your hobby is your gateway to meeting new friends and building new relationships. When you’re passionate about something, you naturally want to share it with others. You share it with your loved ones first, then you seek out others to share it with – maybe those who you can share with mutually. These relationships can not only strengthen your love of the hobby, but also give you the opportunity to dedicate more time to your hobby.
Keeps you sharp and learning.
Once we’ve get to a point in our careers, finding new things to learn and engage with the work can be difficult. While there will be learning opportunities, you’ve acquired many of the necessary skills, know the beats to take and those opportunities become more rare. With hobbies, no matter how long you’ve spent immersed in them, can always offer new learning opportunities. It might not always seem like it because you enjoy the activity, but you are learning. A hobby that doesn’t offer anything new becomes boring and you move on to something new that does keep your attention and the learning process begins again. Staying this engaged in something helps you to stay sharp as you age and gives you an avenue to explore new things all the time.