Why It Is Important to Find New Hobbies That Will Enrich Your Life

{Note from Jessica: Today’s post is shared by my dear friend Kelly Matsudaira. Kelly is passionate about personal development and reflection on life and often pops in to share words of wisdom! I hope you enjoy today’s article!}

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by Kelly Matsudaira

Sometimes life can lose a bit of its luster. We get bored easily, our minds aren’t constantly stimulated, and we seem to drift along in the monotony of our daily schedules.

However, it’s important to nourish your spark for life and keep things interesting. That is why it’s critical to always find new hobbies to keep yourself entertained, stimulated, and loving life.

We all enjoy the thrill of doing or learning something new periodically. It’s what keeps us going. So maybe now is a good time to reevaluate your life and a make list of things you’ve been wanting to do but have put off for far too long.

15 Benefits of Discovering New Interests

When you decide to put the effort towards discovering new hobbies, you will be surprised how much of a positive impact those new ideas have on your life. For some people, you could see a change instantly, and for others, it may take a few days, weeks or even months to notice a difference in your life.

However, I guarantee that eventually you will notice an internal change when you take time for yourself doing the things you love to do.

Here are some benefits from developing new interests

1. Feeling a sense of achievement
2. Boosting your confidence and self-esteem
3. Awakening a part of yourself that you’ve neglected over the years
4. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone so you can grow
5. Building character
6. Developing your knowledge and skills
7. Getting educated
8. Improving and stimulating your mind
9. Meeting new people and becoming sociable
10. Avoiding boredom
11. Changing your perspective of the world and seeing things in a refreshing way
12. Making you a more interesting person
13. Relieving stress
14. Nurturing your passions
15. Making time for yourself and allowing yourself something to look forward to

It’s very easy to come home from a hard day’s work and want to veg on the couch in front of the TV and/or computer all night. But if you push yourself to find new hobbies to keep you busy, then you will be rewarding yourself in more ways than one.

Affordable Ideas for New Hobbies

Now that you know why it’s important to keep developing your list of hobbies and how it can benefit your life in a positive way, now it’s time to start brainstorming.

Here are some ideas on a variety of hobbies to research to see if they may be a right fit for you. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started on most of these hobbies:

Creative and Artistic

• Start a blog
• Start a YouTube channel and learn about video production
• Painting
• Pottery
• Make jewelry
• Make candles
• Make body scrubs, lotions and soaps

Crafts

• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Sewing
• Scrapbooking
• Stamping
• Drying and pressing flowers
• Woodworking
• Calligraphy
• Puzzles

Physical

• Join a local sports team (football, baseball/softball, basketball, rugby, bowling, etc.)
• Learn a new sport (golf, tennis, etc.)
• Rock climbing
• Hiking
• Skiing or snowboarding
• Rafting
• Surfing
• Biking
• Horseback riding

Educational

• Learn a new language
• Learn to play an instrument
• Learn about web design and coding
• Learn about your family by tracing your ancestry
• Learn a new card game
• Learn how to play chess
• Learn about wine or beer

Other Ideas

• Start a vegetable or herb garden
• Start a book club
• Start a collection (stamps, rocks, model cars, planes or trains, movies, dolls, etc.)
• Take a cooking class
• Take a dancing class
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Photography
• Volunteering
• Bird watching

There are many, many more hobbies to explore. If you research online, you can find hundreds of ideas.

Don’t let your busy life keep you from learning more about yourself, developing your knowledge and skills, and being passionate about the things you love.

Now, I’d love to hear from you? What are YOUR hobbies? Have you been looking for a new hobby? Anything on this list seem interesting? Please share in the comments below!