This weeks post is much less of a How-To and much more of a motivation for going into 2025 trying new things. I don’t really subscribe to the “New Year New Me” New Years Resolutions; however, I do think winter is generally a great time to evaluate your life and try to find more happiness in the upcoming year. Trying new hobbies is one of the best ways to scrape joy from this life!
ReDiscovering childhood hobbies
This is actually something I have been working on this year. I fell into the all-too-familiar pattern of adulthood: getting caught up in being an adult. This is fine when it comes to responsibilities and jobs but not necessarily great for finding joy and silliness in life. It doesn’t help that 2024 was a bleak year for many (if you know you know).
All you need to rediscover that child-like wonder a lot of times is nostalgia. PR teams everywhere have found out how important nostalgia is and we have seen that in marketing, but don’t let that late-stage capitalism marketing spoil it. Nostalgia helps you remember what brings your inner-most self joy and is a great starting point for remembering things you used to love.
A big part of this is just being introspective on what used to bring you joy when you were a kid, a teen, and in your 20s and evaluate why you stopped doing it and see if starting it again will bring you the same joy as an adult. Then it is as simple as trying it again!
Lately, I have been listening to a lot of bands from my teenage years that I forgot about, listening to Live Music, and getting back into rock climbing and dancing. Also, I got back into reading again and it has been so fun!!
Trying brand new hobbies
Here at SNTD we talk ad nauseam (yes we are a part of the Broski Nation) about trying new hobbies. The reason we won’t shut-up about it is because life is too short to let money, societal expectations, or time stop you from finding what brings you joy.
That is a very grandiose mindset, yes. That doesn’t change the fact that it is true. There will always be stuff in the way: raising families, working jobs, generally surviving in this hellscape. However, if something matters to you, you should find time to it. Even if you are only able to do it for 10 minutes of your day. Be selfish with your time and try to find joy past the responsibilities if you are able to, it will be worth it.
I have been trying to use social media less for my mental health and using that energy for learning how to play the violin. I have never played an instrument and so far I love it!
ideas for new hobbies
Sometimes one of the biggest issues people come across when looking for hobbies is a lack of inspiration. So here are just some generic ideas that you can maybe look into that aren’t too cost-prohibitive:
- Walking/Hiking
- Building igloos (requires snow)
- Boardgame nights
- Reading
- Yoga
- You can find a lot of options free on Youtube! (We do Yoga with Bird)
- Meditation
- Learn star constellations
- Growing indoor plants
- Listening to music
- Analyzing music lyrics
- Art
- Painting (Bob Ross is a good starting point)
- Sketching, etc.
- Watching Youtube of things that interest you to learn more about
- Cooking
- Baking
- Dance classes (IE Barre classes or Youtube)
- Antiquing/Garage sale-ing
- Gardening
- At home crafts
- Building collages
- Scrapbooking
- Make a rock garden in your yard
- Knitting/crocheting
- Birdwatching
- Merlin Bird App is a great way to identify bird calls
- Sibley Bird books are a great directory
- Photography (use your phone, you’d be surprised how good the cameras are!)
- Writing
- Novel, fanfics, poems, lyrics, etc.
- Watching Sports, local or National
- Chess
- You can play chess on your phone for free if you don’t have a partner to play with
- Become a part of your community
- Go to local events
- Volunteer for things you care about
- Origami
- Calligraphy
- Learn magic tricks
- Local trivia/bingo
- Learning how to do new hairstyles
Those are just a couple options off the top of my head!
why hobbies matter
Hobbies are a great way to find happiness and enjoy self-care by doing something that makes your day more fulfilled.
Having hobbies is great for your physical health, even when you are not doing a physical activity. Doing things you love can help you reduce stress which is great for brain function and heart health.
Also, mental health is greatly impacted by hobbies. Hobbies can promote self-esteem, creativity, and help improve mood/social connections.
Moral of the story is that hobbies are good for your soul and they don’t have to break the bank or be a huge time commitment. Finding something that brings you joy is worth the energy. Finding 10 minutes of happiness and fulfillment in your day is better than nothing.
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