Extract from ABC News
If you reckon you don't have time for a hobby, the expert advice is clear.
Make some time.
Growing bonsais, knitting jumpers or strumming songs aren't just time-filling exercises; they offer a chance to feel more joy, purpose and connection. Hobbies even benefit your mental health.
So, it's time to take hobbies a little more seriously. Here's advice on how to find hobbies you'll stick at — and how to nurture the ones you already have.
The joy of purpose – or of no purpose at all
Charles Sturt University researcher and senior lecturer Yazdan Mansourian has been studying hobbies for years.
The simplest form of hobby is one that is "for pure pleasure, for having fun", like reading a book, having dinner with friends or walking, he tells ABC RN's Life Matters.
At the other end of the spectrum are hobbies that could be classed as "serious leisure".
These are the hobbies you need to learn skills for and which require some long-term commitment. They're also the ones some people end up turning into a career.
A serious leisure hobby "will be part of your identity", Dr Mansourian says.
But hobbies of any kind are equally valuable, because they all elicit pleasure.
"The concept of joy is essential here," he says.
Life Matters listener Amber says she's recently realised it's ok to follow pursuits simply because they bring pleasure.
"I felt validated after discovering Aristotle said that leisure is the purest of human pursuits, because it's the only thing that one does purely for the enjoyment of doing it," she says.
"Understanding leisure as a virtue is something a lot of people would benefit from."
Enjoyment might be the sole purpose of doing a hobby — and that's perfectly fine, Dr Mansourian says.
Leisure, passion and purpose are "so connected to each other", he says.
No time for a hobby?
Rob Donovan, the founder of Mentally Healthy WA's Act-Belong-Commit campaign says a hobby can keep us active "mentally, spiritually and socially", and — particularly those done in a group — they give us a sense of belonging, identity and connection.
Hobbies also help to build a sense of "meaning and purpose in life" and a "sense of resilience and capability", says Professor Donovan, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia's school of human sciences.
All those benefits "contribute to a good, sound position of mental health", he says.
That sounds great. But what if you don't have time for a hobby?
Life Matters listener Grant says he has "no hope of hobbies".
"My children are grown — that was my first 25 years of adult life. I now raise my wife's children, my step-children … [and I'm] keeping my small business running to support my dependents.
"[There's] no time for me. Even finding a hobby is a big task," he says.
But Dr Mansourian says, tough though it may be, we need to try to fit hobbies in.
He says usually a day can be divided into time spent on self-care, like eating, sleeping and personal hygiene; unpaid work; obligations like childcare or cleaning the house; and then paid work.
It's a full load, so "we need to make time for leisure".
Dr Mansourian recommends not being "too ambitious" when first trying to introduce hobbies.
"Have small steps [and] celebrate your little achievements.
"As long as you engage with an activity, even in a very short period of time, that would be a very good start," he says.
The more you do your hobby, and enjoy doing it, the more "you will make time for it", he says.
Professor Donovan says you may only need 10 or 15 minutes every couple of days to keep a hobby going.
But also, he says "you shouldn't feel obliged to add to an already existing busy schedule".
"There might be ways of incorporating [a hobby] into what you're already doing."
For example, if you're looking after children, there might be a hobby you can engage in at the same time — say, walking or gardening.
"There are different ways of doing it," he says.
How to stick at it
Professor Donovan cautions against doing a hobby because you think you should. Make sure it's something you enjoy doing.
He says a good way of sticking at your hobby is to find a group to do it with; they'll encourage you to show up for your hobby — and they'll notice if you don't.
Also, see if you can "add a little bit of learning to it", he says.
"So you might go along to an evening class at a tech school or something. Having those little accomplishments, learning a little bit more [and] achieving something is a great self-reward."
Professor Donovan says the feeling from gaining that reward will drive you to stick to your hobby.
Finally, Dr Mansourian says don't set yourself up for failure.
"If you find that you cannot do some of the things that you start to enrol in, then move to something else."
In other words, your hobby shouldn't feel like a chore.
Rather, it is "supposed to be something sufficiently challenging, but adequately rewarding", Dr Mansourian says.
"And it's like a journey, you begin with a passion. But there is always a learning, it's an ongoing learning."
Even if it is simply learning how to squeeze more pleasure into your day.
No comments:
Post a Comment