Introduction
If you haven’t got to grips with a hobby yet then you might be wondering whether they’re actually important or not and how they can enhance your life (if at all).
These are good questions to ask and are quite common especially since we now live in a world where it’s hard to escape seeing everyone doing so well at a variety of activities on your social media feed.
As a caveat, we wanted to point out early in this article that you don’t need to have a hobby by any means to have a satisfying life, however, if you do choose to go down the road of finding a passion then there’s plenty of benefits that come with it.
In fact, even the most straightforward of activities such as watching television or playing video games can be classed as hobbies if you enjoy them, which means in most cases, it’s very hard to not have a single hobby.
With that thought in mind, you can probably do your own analyses on the various activities you do in your general day-to-day living where you can ask whether you enjoy them and what benefits you think they bring.
We’re going to carry out that exact process and explore the reasons why we think having hobbies can be beneficial and how they help you grow as a person.
Expand Your Horizons: How Important Are Hobbies and What Benefits Do They Bring?
1. Hobbies help you meet people
If you like making friends (or if you find it hard to make new ones) then you might enjoy the benefits of having a hobby as they can actually make you more sociable and get you on the path to meeting new people.
Some hobbies are more sociable than others, however, if you’re good at your craft or are wanting to take it to the next level, then it’s an inevitable consequence that you’ll end up at some kind of public event that gets you involved with others.
It’s hard to quantify the value that another person will bring to your life but we think branching out and establishing a good network of friends means you won’t have to worry so much if you fall on hard times or need a little guidance.
2. Hobbies help you develop an identity
When you think about a friend or someone you know, you’ll instantly think about their identity such as what they’re interested in and what they’re good at.
For example, you’ll have those people that are really into music and probably ended up starting a band at some point in life — On the flipside, you’ll also have those folk who were really nerdy and ended up getting into coding or some other geeky pastime.
When you pick a passion, it slowly starts to leave an impression on who you are which can also help you to interact with the world in a healthier way.
For example, if you were into sports as a hobby then you’ll more than likely frequent the gym to stay fit, eat healthy recipes, and be able to demonstrate to others how they can also stay fit or motivated.
Alternatively, maybe you’re into PC gaming which means you’ll know how to interact with others from around the world and probably have a good idea on how to troubleshoot a computer if anything goes wrong.
Although they might seem like small points, all of this collective information and expertise adds up to the person you become in life.
3. Hobbies expand your world views
Sometimes you literally don’t know what you don’t know, and can only get acquainted with certain aspects of life by getting yourself involved in situations that naturally occur by leading one’s life.
What we mean by this is that when you put yourself out there and partake in different activities such as your hobbies, then you’ll come across information or at least be able to meet people who can educate you on topics that you might not have found out otherwise.
Naturally, this means you aren’t keeping yourself sheltered from other people’s opinions and will be forced to understand, or even debate when necessary, against other people’s viewpoints.
Having broader world views is especially important for becoming a better-developed individual who can hold their own regardless of the circumstance they may find themselves in.
4. Hobbies can make you more interesting
If you’ve ever been in a situation where you’re trying to engage or converse with others then you know it can be awkward when there’s nothing to talk about.
By having a hobby, you increase your life experience and thus fast-track your ability to hold a conversation meaning you always have something to fall back on if the topic at hand isn’t working.
This makes you far more interesting to talk to than people without hobbies and also means you’re a less risky prospect when it comes to the possibility of there being any awkward silences.
As a caveat, some hobbies are more socially palatable than others and talking about PC gaming all night isn’t going to meet everyone’s expectations on what they consider good conversation — we recommend trying a few different hobbies to mix it up.
5. Hobbies can help you unwind
When you’re engaged in something you enjoy you’ll often forget about the daily stresses that await you meaning for just a moment, you’ll be able to switch off and unwind by doing what you love.
In fact, we think that having hobbies is essential to leading a good life and even if you’re late to the party, it’s never too late to lap up the benefits that they can give you.
Some of the most productive hobbies combine their ability to destress with also improving your physical health such as fitness; your body also releases feel-good hormones when you exercise meaning you’re getting a double whammy of positivity.
Asides from fitness, other hobbies such as gardening and knitting can have calming effect on the mind as they don’t require intense thought.
6. Hobbies teach you to be patient
Not all hobbies can be done in a day, and some of the best take years to master meaning you’ll have to get to grips with waiting if you want to be good at them.
This teaches the vital lesson of patience which is an invaluable skill in an age of dwindling attention spans and an increasing need for instant gratification; in fact, if you can master your patience, you’ll be far ahead of the curve giving you an advantage.
It doesn’t just apply to hobbies either — when was the last time you were sat waiting for a bus or on a flight to get to where you need to be?
If so, you might have been fidgety or frustrated by it all, however, had you already been exposed to this level of waiting then you’ll probably learn to enjoy the experience rather than complain about it.
7. Hobbies get you out of your comfort zone
It’s all too easy to sit back and stay in your safe space but when you’re serious about your hobbies then you’ll sharp find out that you need to move out of this safe zone and into more dangerous waters if you want to improve quickly.
Even the prospect of learning a new technique can instill fear into the uninitiated mind and can have you paralyzed for weeks on end in a rut of self-doubt.
The more you challenge yourself with new tasks, the better you’ll get at whittling down those walls of procrastination that would otherwise have you landlocked until old-age.
8. Hobbies can increase your confidence levels
Confidence isn’t just a skill that’s useful in your hobbies but it’s also something that can apply to your general day-to-day life.
By engaging in your passions, you’ll learn to approach life in the same ways that you do your hobbies, and that is with unmitigated gall.
In fact, confidence is a great influence to be under and one that can help you negotiate tough moments in your life such as applying for new jobs, getting promotions, and demonstrating how effective you are at a certain skill.
9. Hobbies fill your life with deep meaningful fun
Fun is something that can be had by going for a day out at the fairground, however, the deeper kind of fun is something that is formed from developing your passions, learning things about yourself that you didn’t know, and basking in the fruits of your labor.
It’s almost impossible to replicate that feeling with quick pleasures, and even if they are fun for a short moment, the feeling diminishes rapidly meaning you’ll be back to square one seeking more nibbles at the end of your maze.
Hobbies are in essence an extension of yourself meaning you use your internal energy to create something enjoyable rather than seeking some sort of external gratification to give you fulfillment.
10. Hobbies educate you
It’s a shame that the majority of school learning is done through reading uninspired textbooks rather than getting hands-on with something you love.
Hobbies educate you through trial and error while simultaneously giving you a way to explore the inner workings of whatever it is you’ve tasked yourself with.
Because of this process, hobbies offer one of the best solutions to get yourself educated in an efficient manner and one that teaches real-world examples rather than leaving you to wonder what if.
11. Hobbies improve critical thinking skills
As an addendum to our previous point, hobbies can not only educate you, but they can also teach vital critical thinking skills such as problem-solving, analysis, interpretation, explanation, self-regulation, and even open-mindedness.
When we’re educated by a tutor, we’re robbed of this ability meaning we are left to flounder for the best part of our twenties before we get a grip of ourselves.
When you have a hobby, you’ll not always have someone to help you meaning you’ll have to use all of the aforementioned critical-thinking skills to adapt and overcome any obstacles that lie before you.
FAQ
How do I get started with a hobby?
First of all, you’ll need to pick a hobby.
There are absolutely thousands out there and we’ve even created a list of over 300 hobbies for you to peruse to see if anything suits your tastes.
We recommend working with your natural gifts first and foremost; for example, if you’re muscular or particularly athletic then you might be good at sporting hobbies.
As a caveat, you don’t need to pigeonhole yourself, however, it’s more satisfying to do something you’re able to get good at rather than fighting an uphill battle.
Once you’ve found a hobby, we recommend doing some thorough research beforehand as it will prepare you for if you run into any issues — we have a huge range of hobby advice to help you get started.
How many hobbies can I have?
We’ve got a detailed answer here but we generally recommend three; one for fun, one for productivity, and one to flex your creative side.
Conclusion
In conclusion, having a hobby or getting involved in them can bring a wide-range of benefits and some that are impossible to foresee.
You’ll become far more interesting to talk to and you’ll have a sense of confidence when tasked with new problems as you’ll have went through a similar process before when developing your skills in a chosen hobby.
These are some of the best reasons we could think of but it’s too far-reaching to know all of the thousands of benefits that hobbies can bring to your life.
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