MINDSET STIMULUS
HOBBY HORSE
Pallavi Pinakin examines the social and cerebral values of taking on a hobby
Adults have given hobbies the cold shoulder in the 21st century. Ask people about their hobbies today and you’ll find that many simply shrug their shoulders while others reply with ‘watching television,’ ‘sleeping’ or ‘Facebook’ – and some of them mean it half-seriously!
How did this happen?
It was only a few decades ago that everyone seemed to have a favourite pursuit, whether it was an individual passion like painting or baking, or a team pursuit like rugby or playing in a band.
With the advent of longer work hours, easy internet access and smartphones, we have become lazier and less inspired. Passive pastimes like browsing social media or watching a TV programme is easier than engaging in any meaningful activity.
This lethargy is completely understandable; after all, we’re busier than ever before. But it’s time for us to rediscover the joys and (very real) benefits of hobbies.
Be it trekking, acting, reading or gardening, regularly engaging in an activity is healthy – both personally and professionally.
Here are some of the rewards a hobby offers – besides pure enjoyment, of course!
CONFIDENCE Spending time engaged in something you love and finding that you are good at it is an invaluable driver of self-esteem. Whether it’s an old passion or a new one, practising and improving a skill makes us feel great about ourselves.
The resulting confidence extends far beyond the sphere of the activity; it also makes you more likely to take on challenges at work, and builds belief in your ability to achieve newer and tougher goals. Ergo when you learn to play a new chord on the guitar, you also become more courageous about volunteering yourself for that new project at work.
BALANCE Hobbies create a sense of deep personal fulfilment. Between work and relationships, many people have little time for themselves. Leaving aside a few hours for something you enjoy brings pleasure and pride that is very different to your professional, family and social life.
It is also invaluable to maintaining a balance in life that consists of four spheres: work, home, the community and self. So go ahead and give yourself a place on the schedule.
RELAXATION There’s a Zen proverb about meditation that’s equally applicable to hobbies: ‘You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes every day unless you’re too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.’ What better way to de-stress from the cares of the week than plunging wholeheartedly into the pursuit of your choice?
Picking up a hobby is a fabulous way to relax and refresh your weary spirits, and this would lead to better workplace productivity and greater job satisfaction. Less stressed professionals are better equipped to deal with the demands of their job, and avoid workplace catastrophes like burnout and breakdowns.
MOTIVATION When scientists studied patients with and without hobbies, they found that those with hobbies ‘tended to have more drive and interest in things and other people.’ In other words, they demonstrated ‘a more active orientation to life.’
Cultivating a beloved interest fuels your drive to do better and opens up your mind. And this motivation naturally spills over into your work and personal life. A hobby also offers you the added bonus of pursuing a passion realistically alongside your regular job so you can have the best of both worlds.
So if you find yourself uninspired at work, consider signing up for that photography workshop you’ve been thinking about – it might just give your career a new lease of life.
INTELLIGENCE No matter what kind of activity – physical, cerebral or creative – you take up, challenging yourself in a non-professional context has a hugely positive impact on your brain.
Cycling, yoga, dance, cricket… any physical exercise enhances your cognitive performance. Engaging in stimulating mental activity helps you become a better problem-solver. Creative pursuits like art and music strengthen your out-of-the-box thinking skills.
INTERACTION Broadening your horizons could mean meeting a whole new group of interesting and like-minded people. While it’s easier to form a new social circle if your hobby is group-oriented (such as singing in a choir or joining a sports team), you can forge new connections even if your interest is more solitary in nature.
For instance, members of book clubs first read the assigned book on their own and then meet to share their views; and cooking enthusiasts experiment in their own kitchens and organise pot-luck dinners.
As adults, it can be difficult to meet people outside work and existing social circles. Engaging in your passion can open the door to great interactions and new friends. Expanded social networks can be valuable for work, whether you’re looking for new partners or fresh career opportunities.
Form your own circle of like-minded friends or try social applications like Meetup to find a relevant group.
By being involved with a hobby, you are being fair by yourself. We first reward ourselves, feel good and happy about ourselves with the simple things we do. We begin to appreciate ourselves with the simple things we do and achieve. Then when the hobby progresses, you share joy, add synergies and provide a valuable service to the small group in community or the public at large. Those who have hobbies can juggle many things, do not procrastinate and hence good at time management in spite of how busy they are.
What a fantastic intrinsic motivation!
Psychologists are of the view that people with hobbies are likely to expand their boundaries and associate with a larger social circles. Consequently, their brains are comparatively active and keep building neurons than a person without hobbies whose outlook and physical activities represent a dull and limited scope. An old adage goes that an idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Diseases like dementia, Alzheimer may be kept at bay and mitigated to a certain extent with an active and healthy brain that stimulates mind and body. Hence, being engaged in a hobby becomes more significant to one’s life when people grow older and their mental health is prone to be impaired. A person with a hobby is likely to be a go getter, optimistic and these personal traits are likely to be continued in some way when they become senior citizens too.
Live well with your hobby!
When a hobby is selected sensibly, any individual is privy for greater contentment. For starters, it is recommended to take off with what you are good at, what inspires you and what is available in terms of resources and convenience. Continuing this over a period of time, you may go through a learning experience yourself, be at crossroads, and explore new ventures. You may even get a chance to volunteer – a truly fortunate and satisfying life experience.
At this point you get to associate with people of similar or common interests. It would be in your favour if you can fit and grow with a group of like-minded individuals, who will also feel your importance, and whose interests will support your growth.
As you move along, you will improve your soft skills, judgment, creativity and increase your ability to deal with diverse personalities. It is essential that you polish your conflict dealing ability too, where with many people there can be an influx of ideas which have to be handled diplomatically without harming relationships. This can build opportunities for your personal and career growth.
You may even meet new friends for life, the life partner of your choice and who knows in your expanded social network, you may happen to be recommended and headhunted for that position with your dream employer.
When chosen wisely, your pastime favourite will serve you reasonably well.
It is unfortunate that the senior citizens are caught up in the waves of mobile technology, and that they seem to have lost interest in their hobbies. Adults are a vast source of knowhow and they seem to have been spoilt by Facebook indulgences such as re-connecting with long-lost mates. There is a lot to learn from their hands-on advice and tips on interesting hobbies.
Can what is learnt during the two or three years be evaluated in a three hour paper? The situation is the same for the Ordinary and Advanced level examinations. There is a gap to be addressed. On the contradictory, there are those who had their education here and secured employment local and abroad.
Involving in a hobby may be fruitful, particularly when we are hit by a crisis, job dissatisfaction or retirement which are beyond our control. It is then, that we are most likely to value our involvement in pastimes and activities.
When in upheavals in our life, which are common and unavoidable, if one is involved in a particular activity and within a social circle, it will give a broader perspective to look at ways to solve the problem; or at least to modify or change our outlook in accepting the situation. What is important is that a hobby or an activity of interest strengthens our mental health strong, boosts our self-confidence and we would not feel as if the problem at hand is the end of the world. Hobbies also shut down many avenues that would cause stress, frustration, blood pressure and non-communicable diseases which are beyond medication.
Involving in a hobby helps keep our brain and mind in a particular stimuli level without fluctuating between euphoria and distress. Involving in a pastime gives us a strong mind, strong perspectives and helps to deal with problems from a fresh and meaningful angle.