🌻5 Types of Hobbies That Help You Thrive In Life

It’s the ultimate self-care.

One day my coworker attempted the typical small talk spiel.

“What are your plans for the weekend? What do you do for fun?”

This wasn’t my first rodeo. I should expect my coworker’s common question and formulate a better response. Yet, I felt the familiar feeling of dread settle in my stomach.

“I don’t know. I’m boring and don’t have any hobbies,” I sheepishly said.

His awkward laugh of disbelief permeated through my office. He was a walking hobby finder: making homemade craft beer to impromptu road trips for outdoor activities.

Ever since I relocated, the number of friends I had locally remained less than I could count on one hand. Unfortunately, creating new adult friendships is difficult, especially when a tight schedule surrounds you with little free time to build meaningful relationships.

After I powered through doing two people’s jobs at my work, resetting back to a 40-hour workweek felt like the ultimate freedom. What could I possibly do with all this free time? I already binge-watched Netflix’s Bridgerton and Queen’s Gambit. Not many other shows possessed the same addictive appeal.

So I decided to “make myself more interesting” and pick up some hobbies. And what a journey it’s been.

Not all hobbies are created equal. And with time as a finite resource, it’s essential to allocate our hobbies to benefit us strategically. So it’s not all about “hyper-productivity” but making the suitable trade-off.

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Here are the types of hobbies you should engage in to reach your best self in any order, of course.

Hobby #1: Adopt a bonding mechanism for meaningful relationships.

Hobbies people can do together create the perfect opportunity for strengthening relationships.

The magic sauce is when travel provides a valuable vehicle for creating memories.

In Psychology Today, Gwendolyn Seidman Ph.D. describes how recalling warm memories with a partner can increase feelings of intimacy, as can reflecting on and laughing at a funny memory.

When my significant other and I visited my hometown, thoughtful memories came flooding back. We reminisced on the pranks we pulled in the dorms to how this special place brought us together. Driving down the familiar roads and eating at our favorite places offered an overwhelming nostalgia. But, it also reminded us of the opportunity that we could always come back and celebrate these moments.

I love to travel as a hobby because it can elevate your relationships with friends too. So it’s not just the vacation itself, but the planning where the friendship bonding happens.

A study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life discovered anticipating a vacation could make you happier than actually taking it.

I experienced this first-hand when planning a vacation to Austin with my best friend. We enjoyed a fantastic holiday. But the build-up of coordinating our plans increased our bond more than our in-person interactions alone.

We started with a Google doc titled “partners in crime, mid 20s edition.” A true ode to our college days as drinking buddies and taking care of each other.

When we put together the itinerary, we discovered each other’s interests and thought processes. We both were down for a hike (albeit a short one). We both had our must-haves listed and wanted to stay on a budget (cramming eight people into a small hotel room) days.

Our cheap Captain Morgan days were over. And now we’re slinging career advice while making meaningful travel plans.

Hobby #2: Compound your knowledge library.

Find a hobby that makes you smarter. To build upon your knowledge library, you’ll need to start with practicing habits.

James Clear, the best-selling author of Atomic Habits, defines habits as the following:

“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them.”

To prove his point, Clear explains how getting one percent better each day for one year can result in you ending up 37x better by the time you’re done.

The power of tiny gains proves impactful beyond what we can imagine. But the little gains are hard to discern under the naked eye. It’s only when we reflect after larger increments of time (one year, five years, a decade, etc.) that we acknowledge the impact of these tiny habits.

Hobbies bear a high correlation with good habits. So when you have a hobby producing a positive result, why wouldn’t you want to keep repeating it?

Numerous platforms exist to help to build our knowledge. But reading holds a special place in my heart. I understand its flaws. Reading a book without audio takes time compared to a podcast where you can multi-task.

But I’m overwhelmed with gratitude when I can sit down with a book. A warm cup of coffee accompanies me. Whether it’s for ten minutes or two hours, that time flies by with intention.

While I can’t remember every detail I read, the content compounds and makes me indefinitely smarter. Reading provides access. We don’t have physical accessibility towards all the experts, but we can glean insight from their knowledge.

Hobby #3: Develop a creative outlet.

Find a hobby that allows your creativity to flourish.

In an interview with Apple Music, Taylor Swift described how the coronavirus pandemic led to her canceled live shows.

Swift quickly leveraged this opportunity to produce two full-fledged albums: Folklore and Evermore, within six months. But a revelation appeared without planning for live shows.

“When you’re taking music you’ve already made and choreographing and you are setting up a live spectacle that is taking up so much emotional, creative, and imagination-based bandwidth in your brain. If you take all of that away, what happens? I learned it’s possible to write more music with that creative bandwidth.” — Taylor Swift

Planning the live shows, from the choreography to taking significant breaks after touring, disappeared. The extra headspace required for these logistics no longer fits into the equation.

Thus, the spare time allowed Taylor Swift to devote her efforts to songwriting — and immediately creating another album.

A creative outlet can come in many forms, from painting, photography, or songwriting like Ms. Swift.

My medicine of choice: writing.

I always loved the editing process. Turning a simple headline into a built-out article never seemed like a tedious assignment. Instead, it allowed me to put my best words on the table. My crappy first draft, compared to my final, always felt like a beautiful butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

My day job is in human resources. While I enjoy my career, it doesn’t fulfill every facet of my creative mind.

For example, writing allows me to explore near areas of interest behind my 9–5. I never imagined myself dabbling in writing about relationships. After all, I’ve dated only one person in my entire life. But relationships can extend beyond romantic to friendships and family.

Having a creative outlet provides a therapeutic element to your life. It’s like your personal diary.

Hobby #4: Improve your health.

Aligning a hobby that helps you improve your health is crucial.

Researchers J. A. Wolfson and Sara Bleich set out to answer the question, “is cooking at home associated with better diet quality or weight-loss intention?”

They found in a study that “Cooking dinner frequently at home is associated with consumption of a healthier diet whether or not one is trying to lose weight.”

Like the study says, cooking at home automatically gives you a healthier advantage.

One of the most significant changes I made to live a healthier life was ditching the takeout. During quarantine, I switched my takeout habits for cooking at home. I earned how to elevate my cooking to make high-protein meals. I immediately noticed the difference after adding more greens in favor of the white rice I traditionally grew up eating. My energy levels improved. My weight decreased.

When you find a hobby to help you live healthier, you’re going to feel better. And those feelings will help you sustain those positive changes.

Hobby #5: Find a relaxing way to reduce stress.

Pick a hobby that calms you down. If an activity contains a therapeutic effect, you’re moving in the right direction.

According to Healthline, multiple studies concluded that yoga provides benefits such as reducing stress and anxiety.

After performing yoga for periods ranging from ten weeks to three months, researchers discovered the decreased secretion of cortisol, the primary stress hormone.

With severe eczema, I experience flare-ups when I’m under stress. It’s an unfortunate skin condition affecting my life daily. But there is a humorous silver lining. I have red indicators on my skin if I’m too impacted by stress from work or other factors.

As a result, I leave my yoga mat out in my living room every day. It’s an excellent reminder to squeeze in time to calm my mind and relax my body. With a heavy focus on breathing, I love doing this before returning to work for crammed meetings.

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Final Thoughts

A quick recap on the different hobbies you should have:

Hobby #1: Bonding mechanism for meaningful relationships. Maintaining relationships takes a lot of work. Hobbies that you can do with others will increase your connection.
Hobby #2: Compound your knowledge library. Keep yourself smart with a hobby.
Hobby #3: Your creative outlet. Writing, photography, music, and more can take up this space. Express yourself. Allow your creativity to flourish.
Hobby #4: Improves your health. A lot of people grind at work and forget about their health. Whether it’s cooking or exercise, find something that takes care of your body.
Hobby #5: A relaxing way to reduce stress. Hobbies don’t have to mean go-go-go. Allowing yourself to wind down is essential.
Ultimately, your hobbies can serve numerous purposes.

First, it can give you a break from your 9–5 job. Second, it can provide you the fulfillment you’ve always wanted, and in turn, allow you to achieve record productivity levels. Finally, it can be your passion that you didn’t monetize and turn into a side hustle (a true rarity these days).

Let’s hope we can round out our lives with different hobbies to start living a more purposeful life. Your next hobby may be the remedy to your chaotic life.

Contributed by Jessie Vee

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