Various researches show that having 5 different kinds of hobbies improve people’s lifestyle and mental health. But what is a hobby? A hobby is a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during someone's free time. However to find balance and happiness you need five hobbies that fall in these specific categories: creativity, fitness, mental care, business and knowledge. Let’s start with the first one.
1. A hobby that keeps you creative
Writing, painting, drawing, doing DIY crafts and crocheting are all considered creative hobbies. Learning a creative hobby has the added benefit of exercising parts of your brain that don’t get as much activity on a daily basis, and it can also help improve your concentration and emotional expression.
2. A hobby that keeps you fit
It has been seen that most people try hard to stay fit by joining a gym or some yoga class but after some days they quit because it’s not something they actually enjoy and love. So find something that makes you happy while doing exercise! Do you like animals? Then walk your dog (or ask somebody who has a dog to take him/her out for a walk) in the park, or if you like listening to music, just do that while running. There are a lot of options depending on what you like most, so just think about something you enjoy doing in your free time and see if it is possible to add some exercising activity to it.
3. A hobby that evokes mindfulness
Taking care of your mental health should be a priority, so for achieving the goal of having a calm and joyous lifestyle, free from stress and anxiety, the theory of the 5 hobbies says that having a hobby that evokes mindfulness can help you be more relaxed during a difficult time. The best example of a hobby for this category is meditation of course, but it depends on you: if another activity you like clears your mind from bad thoughts, then just make it your “relaxing hobby.” It does not matter if it falls under another category of hobbies, because some of them could combine, so for example if running relaxes your mind then you can grow your mindset while doing physical activity.
4. A hobby that helps you earn money
What’s better than having a hobby you love that makes you some extra money? If you like writing then you could participate in a writing contest with prizes, or, if you’re an artist, start selling your paintings online. If you think about it you’ll come up with a lot of ideas!
5. A hobby that improves your knowledge
Learning shouldn't be something you do just at school. During your free time at home, while relaxing, you can learn new things too (that in the future might help you with school or work). Watching documentaries, reading books about a topic you’re interested in or listening to podcasts will improve your knowledge and help you grow professionally while chilling at home.
In conclusion, I hope that after reading this you found that it is not so difficult to reach mindfulness and happiness while also being productive... You just need 5 hobbies!