When did we become too cool for hobbies?  When did we decide we’re too busy to pursue the things we love?

I ask my clients at their Initial Consultation what hobbies and interests they have and this often is met with surprise.  In fact some people look at me as much as to say “time for hobbies – are you kidding?” or “do I look like I am 7 years old?”.  Sometimes they simply look mystified that I’ve asked or perplexed and maybe feeling there is probably a reason behind the question other than curiosity.

So why bother?  Because they do enrich our lives, they connect us to others and they boost our serotonin levels by

• Positively Interacting with Others – a sense of belonging and being connected to other with a shared love of something
• Working Together Effectively – a sense of community whether real or virtual
• Looking after Our Needs and the Needs of Others
• Making Connections, both human and subjected related which builds new neural pathways in our minds
• Learning from classes, from other, online and by engaging in that interest or hobby
• Growing and Developing as we increase our skills, our knowledge, our expertise
• Doing Something we Love makes us happy and absorbs us and that is in itself a form of trance
• Imagining Ourselves engaged in our hobby and enjoying creating, doing, learning, participating
• Remembering how lovely it is when we use our time for our hobbies and interests
• Our Wellbeing – emotional and mental and possibly physical depending on what your interest is
• Sharing – what we know and helping others along the way.

So What hobbies and interests do you have?

It’s that question that can perplex us. Some people sparkle when asked this and happily chat about the things we love. Some people are perplexed.  It’s not a question to make you feel guilty. It’s a question designed to make you pause and think……….

It doesn’t matter what it is.  Our hobbies don’t define us. Our hobbies are a tiny fraction of our lives. Yet they do enrich our lives.

What did you love to do when you were younger?

This can be a good place to start.  Many of the things we loved us children, teenagers and before children are still things we love, that interest us, stimulate us, make us feel good.  So many people say to me they loved to read but they haven’t got the time.  10-15 minutes with a book at bedtime is possible for many of us – it’s just about setting the intention and picturing ourselves reading, visualising what book you’ll read, deciding how long you’ll read for.

What have you always intended to learn, to master, to participate in, to try out?

We often think about doing things. We may read about something, a friend may have taken up a new hobby, we may hear someone on the radio chatting about something they love.  You may have nurtured the thought of doing something for years but never got round to it.  This is simply about looking at possibilities. What may interest you? What’s on your bucket list?

You may decide to try something out but not enjoy it or feel it’s for you and that’s okay too!  I once booked a 2 hour horse riding lesson – just the once!  I hadn’t considered how high up I’d be, how I didn’t like it when the horse trotted but I am glad I tried it out because now I know that horse riding didn’t light my fire.

Your wellbeing is your responsibility and having hobbies and interests is one element.  If you’d like to find out more please get in touch – I’d be delighted to chat through what else you can do for your emotional and mental wellbeing.