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How hobbies improve our lives.

 

After a week of video conferences, emails, phone calls, facilitating workshops, and preparing various deliverables, I disappear into the woods in search of a Great Horned Owl.

I love wildlife photography. I love it because it combines several of my hobbies: photography, studying animals, exploring nature, hiking, and conservation. It helps me disconnect from my work and return to my clients refreshed and ready for more.

Hobby [ˈhäbē] – noun – an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.

We all had hobbies as we grew up, didn’t we? Schools and communities make it easy for kids to do fun things that they love; “extracurriculars” for young people are built into our institutions. Yet most adults let those pursuits slip away.

Many of us are consumed by the daily grind. We work (at least) 40 hours each week. Some of us have families to care for. Some of us are involved with our community or church. Let’s face it, we’re busy. So, you might give me a strange look if I asked you, “What hobby you enjoy?”

If you are one of those people who doesn’t have a hobby, consider this: people who have hobbies report being happier, healthier and have higher life satisfaction than those who don’t.

What? All of that from participating in a book club or joining a hiking group? Yes, there is a ton of research that finds people who regularly engage in activities they enjoy are better off.

Here’s why hobbies are important:

  • Hobbies take our minds and bodies out of our everyday routine and into a different setting.
  • Hobbies help us grow. We develop new skills and connect with others.
  • Hobbies enhance mental health and well-being. Some hobbies help us to develop resiliency.
  • Hobbies help reduce some of the stress we endure.
  • Engaging in hobbies can increase confidence and self-esteem.
  • Hobbies provide a sense of purpose, especially for those who have retired or are no longer raising a family.
  • Some might argue that hobbies make us more interesting.

So, this weekend, I might share some time and space with a coyote or a bobcat. But you do you. Find an experience that helps you — like my forays into nature help me — be happier, healthier and more productive.

A Bay Area TV show featured John in a piece about trail hikes! Check it out – John’s segment starts about 10 minutes in. OpenRoad: Saving shorelines and a trails challenge