The Benefits of Having Hobbies

Photo Credit: 422737, Pixabay

Hobbies provide many benefits, including increased productivity in other aspects of your life, new friends, and even improvements in health. A hobby can also provide you with a break from a monotonous and stressful life. If you don’t have one, it might be a good time to consider taking one up.

Structure and Balance

A hobby helps you to structure your time by forcing you to spend it wisely. Knowing that
completing the task you’re working on frees up time for a hobby motivates your brain to work faster. Otherwise, without anything other than work to look forward to, your brain takes far longer to complete the same task. A hobby effectively boosts your time management skills. Schedule time for your hobby following work hours, and see if it makes a difference in your distractibility at work.

Having a hobby gives your life balance. When your only interests are your work and personal relationships (two aspects in life that tend to have ups and downs), you don’t have anything that gives you unfailing pleasure and stress reduction.

“Hobbies provide you with pride independent of the ups-and- downs that define your career and your interactions with loved ones,” says Business Insider. A hobby helps you prioritize a work- life balance.

Dreams and Friendships

While you may have once dreamed of becoming a famous actor, you’re probably not starring in the next Hollywood film. Hobbies allow you to pursue your passion in a more realistic setting.
Most people don’t end up working in their dream careers of acting, music, art, or sports. Having a good job doing something you like is great, but you probably still have that itch for your dream, and a hobby allows you to continue pursuing your dream on the side, whether it’s through a weekend improv group or a club sport.

Participating in a hobby gives you an opportunity to meet new people. Making a friend while participating in your hobby means you’re bonding over a shared interest. One study showed that we actually form friendships mainly because we have shared interests with individuals. Friends benefit your life in multiple ways – they help you live a longer and healthier life, help keep your mind sharp, and help you cope with life’s ups and downs.

Health

Maintaining a hobby helps to keep you healthy. Obviously, some hobbies provide physical activity, such as gardening and sports, but all hobbies exercise your brain, which boosts memory and cognitive abilities. Hobbies also combat stress, especially job-related stress. One study revealed that people with creative hobbies recover better from the demands of their jobs.
In fact, the researchers suggested that organizations should encourage their employees to participate in creative activities.

Stress wreaks havoc on your workplace productivity and is one of the biggest causes of lost productivity in the United States, costing companies more than $300 million every year. Even worse, stress also negatively affects your overall health. It can lead to headaches, fatigue, upset stomach, as well as issues with appetite and sleep. Stress can also lead to anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and drug or alcohol abuse and addiction. If left unchecked, stress and its many side effects can contribute to other health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Schedule time for your hobby following work hours and see if it makes a difference in your distractibility at work. You’ll also benefit from its stress-relieving capabilities, and you may even meet a new friend. If you don’t already have a hobby or interest, just try out something new.
You’ll never know if you enjoy baking or pottery unless you give it a try.

Article contribute by: Maria Cannon
Ms. Cannon believes we’re never too young to dedicate ourselves to a hobby. She created HobbyJr to encourage young people to find a hobby they love.