The Effects Of Hobbies On Our Daily Lives

Have you ever thought about why you need to have a hobby? Or, if you already have a hobby, the many benefits you get from it?

In today’s fast paced society, many people experience stress on a daily basis. Stress affects us mentally, physically and emotionally. One of the best ways of dealing with stress is having a hobby. The reasons are that hobbies allow us the ability to unleash our creativity, boost our self esteem, engage in an activity we are passionate about and give us a sense of pleasure and accomplishment.

Let’s think about these benefits individually…unleash our creativity. “Creativity is exciting, energizing, grounding, and timeless. When we create, time stops and space expands; it is then, in that place of thought and action, that we express our truest selves.” This is a quote from Ilene Segalove and Paul Bob Velick’s book, “List Your Creative Self”. I love this quote because it expresses the concept of creativity and the importance of it.

Let’s look at the second benefit, boost our self esteem. Studies have shown a relationship between low self-esteem, crime and violence. Therefore, anything that boosts self esteem can help us individually and as a society. Having good self esteem allows us to try new things and enables us to make better decisions.

The next benefit is engage in an activity we are passionate about. How often do we get to engage in an activity we are truly passionate about? There are certain aspects about my job that I enjoy but I cannot say I am passionate about it. And do you really love those household chores? The only time I can wholeheartedly say that I engage in an activity I am passionate about is doing things with my family or through my chosen hobby.

Now, the last benefit, gives us a sense of pleasure and accomplishment. Again, most of our day is filled with activities that we are required to do to provide ourselves with the necessities of life. It is important to do activities that give us pleasure and a sense of accomplishment. Also we can improve current skills or learn new ones through our hobby.

Hobbies allow us hours away from daily worries and enable us to form lasting friendships with like-minded individuals. So the next time you are preparing to engage in your chosen hobby, remember and be thankful for the many benefits you get from your hobby.