Interests + Hobbies and Small Town Scribble

Hobbies are something that we all have, some without really realizing it. They are things that keep us busy besides the usual work, sleep, kids, etc. Acts that you enjoy doing and work into your daily lives.

Interests and hobbies go hand in hand. Interests are things that are interesting to you; activities that you want to do or like exploring. Everyone has interests and so based on those interests, you take up certain hobbies and activities. 

Why are hobbies important?

Having interests and hobbies in your life is actually more important than you might think. 

Believe it or not, hobbies directly affect your mental health and your physical health. 

Without any interests or hobbies in your life, you won’t have anything to look forward to. Leaving you in an almost depressed state and you will most likely start to question many aspects of your life. This can affect your health, physical and mental, your career, and even your relationships.

As people with emotions and energy, we have to have something to enjoy and use our energy on. It is just a necessity of life. We need to have something that’s not just the expectation of life.

With that, some of you might be like, I don’t have any hobbies and I get along fine. But, that’s where hobbies are funny, the littlest things can be counted as a hobby and you may not even realize it. 

How does having hobbies help you?

As touched on above, hobbies, activities and interests help you in a variety of ways. Actively doing something you enjoy leaves you feeling happy and refreshed. All hobbies keep you busy and help you take care of you. However, there are certain ways certain hobbies help you by affecting different aspects of your life. Let’s break it down. 

Mentally

Having hobbies plays a huge part on your mental health. This is probably the biggest benefit of having hobbies, is how it affects your mental health.

With hobbies you are actively doing something instead of just sitting around. It is usually something that you enjoy doing and like taking part in. This releases happy chemicals in your brain that make you feel better, improving your mental health by decreasing stress and anxiety. 

It can also reduce the chance of depression depending on what kind of hobby it is. And gives you something to look forward to as the days and weeks go by, which also helps improve your mental health.

Self Care

Having something that you like is always a joy. Having something and continuously doing it is a form of self care because you are taking time for yourself to treat yourself. 

Self care is an important part of your mental health because of the happy feelings and emotions that come as benefits. These benefits increase your mental health. And so in turn interests and hobbies are self care due to the benefits that they give to you. Also, because you are zealously helping yourself. 

Physically

Some hobbies require you to get out there and move. This is great for your body because it is giving it the movement that it needs.

Staying active is a crucial part of life, so finding a hobby you enjoy that gets you moving is an added benefit. You will get in your physical activity and your self care. 

Being active causes your brain to release happy chemicals, like talked about with mental health. Those happy chemicals allow you to feel better and being active gives you the benefits of physical activity.

Socially

Certain activities are more fun to do with a friend or require someone else to do it with you. This helps strengthen your social skills and gives you your socializing for the day, week, etc. 

Again, as a necessity of life, we need that human interaction. So why not combine your socializing with something you like to do. This will leave you feeling so great because you are sharing something you love with people you like/love. 

Main Kinds of Interests and Hobbies

There are millions of different hobbies and interests out there, but most fall into 3 top categories of what type they are. Those categories are physical, mental and social, just like summarized above.

Now most hobbies fall into these 3 groups, but definitely not all. Many hobbies fall into different groups, but all hobbies come back to these categories because of the benefits hobbies give off when you do them.

Mental

Mental hobbies are those that challenge your mind and your mental health. This also includes self care. 

They are the hobbies that give your mind a rest. Allowing it to recharge and rebalance. Most hobbies in this category are relaxing and slow going. A couple examples are journaling and fishing. I personally do paint by diamonds or listen to music.

These kinds of hobbies force you to slow down and take a minute for your mind to catch up. As talked about, these are important because it is one of the biggest factors of taking care of yourself, by giving you self care and a mental break. An example can be a hot bath.

Physical

These hobbies are more like activities, but still hobbies nonetheless. They are ones that get you out of your seat and moving. Things like taking up a sport or going for a walk. 

Physical hobbies are neat because they are still giving you that doing something you enjoy feeling, but it is also giving you the physical benefits of being active. 

Social

Social hobbies work like physical hobbies. They incorporate something you enjoy, but you also gain the benefits of socializing.

Again, being social, at least a little bit, is a necessity of life. We can’t function as people without it. An example of social hobbies is going to a yoga class every week. You can bring a friend or you can go to the class just you. 

Other Types of Interests and Hobbies

Some hobbies aren’t classified as personal attributes at all and are more directed towards other aspects of life. 

Seasonal Hobbies

Some interests and hobbies are dedicated to certain seasons. For example: snowboarding is something you can only do in the winter. Or gardening is a spring/summer hobby.

Or even seasonal, as in holiday, hobbies. Things that people only do at certain times of the years, like Christmas shopping or movies or Halloween decorations.

Money Making Hobbies

These hobbies are pretty self explanatory, but they are the hobbies that allow you to make some extra cash. A side hustle if you will.

Learning Hobbies

Knowledge or learning hobbies are ones that you pick up to learn about something and increase your own knowledge. 

Creative Hobbies

If you are more artistic and creative, these hobbies are where you are creating or making something. Drawing, baking, etc. 

There are many more types of hobbies and activities out there. 

Statistics

Hobbies are everywhere and all around us. They have been something people do for years and years now. Some people even have multiple hobbies. Especially with the recent pandemic, people have started picking up more interests and hobbies. 

In this article by atym, they did a survey and found that 80% of interviewees admitted to having a hobby. 56% said they have multiple hobbies, while 24% said they stick to just one.  

Additionally, 74% of the people they interviewed said that hobbies are important to have, which we have touched on above.

In the same article as mentioned above, 66% of atym’s respondents stated that hobbies can be time consuming and wish they had more time for them. However, with the pandemic 59% of Americans have picked up a new hobby because they have had more time on their hands. Kind of crazy, isn’t it?

Head to health conducted a survey regarding hobbies and people’s mental health. They found that 4 out of 5 participants stated that spending time on a hobby generally affected their state of well-being, and found it a good tool in managing stress. 

Hobbies Make You You

Your interests and hobbies are what makes you you. They make you your own person. 

For example, if you are interested in hiking and skiing you are most likely a more outdoorsy person and enjoy being outside. You’re also probably more activity driven and an all around active person. That interest and joy of being outside helps make your personality. It also helps your mind and your body by having something you enjoy and something you can do. 

Hobbies and interests are the things that make you who you are. You may think they are just hobbies and things to do but those things can define you and personality. They are your likes and dislikes. Like you like music, but dislike baseball, for example. That is part of you and your opinion and personality. 

How They Define You

Your interests and hobbies are one of the factors in life that help define who you are as a person. Along with your behaviours, your past, your appearance, etc.

Many will deny this and say that hobbies are just that, hobbies. Things you do on the side. But think about it, your hobbies are your interests. The things you like to do and don’t like to do. The things that you find satisfying vs the things that you don’t. They help you find what you enjoy and what you do not. Allowing you to build your opinions on things and allowing your personality to grow by doing the things you like to do. 

They are also considered characteristics of your personality. Making up how people describe you and how you would describe yourself. As an example, say you like to draw and colour, so you and others might say you’re artistic and creative. Or say you like to read comic books and watch superhero movies, people may call you geeky. 

Interests and hobbies help make up your attributes. They give you descriptors besides your physical appearance. 

Builds Your Circle

A great aspect of interests is that many people have the same interests as you. Giving you others to interact with and make relationships out of. 

This allows you to socialize more and broaden your circle. Gaining some relationships and giving you all the benefits of being social. At least with these relationships you have something in common to start off with, instead of a more awkward start. You are starting off with something in common, which is a great start to build something off of. 

There are many chats, groups and forums for you to meet people that have the same interests and hobbies as you. Just simply look it up on Google, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, etc. and you are bound to find others that love what you love. 

It is also a great conversation starter either online or in person. Either way it gives you something to ask about and potentially keep talking about. 

Builds Personality

As kind of described above, hobbies and interests give you personality. They give you dimension allowing you to have a more interesting life. 

All in all, our interests affect our personalities and vice versa. Our personalities affect our interests because we do things based on how we feel about it, how it makes us feel. So for example, if you are a shy person you are most likely not going to pick up a hobby like a comedy act. Now on the other hand, our interests affect our personalities because some hobbies bring us alive and cause us to open up a bit more. This in turn expands our personalities and builds on them. Say you are shy, but you are interested in doing comedy. So you do one show in front of a small audience. And because that went well, you decide to keep going and each time you get less and less shy. 

Our personalities and interests work hand in hand to make us who we are as individual people.

Hobbies Can Lead To More

Hobbies and interests are a big part of people’s lives. They are what we do in our spare time and what we look forward to doing. And because we enjoy them we keep doing it, getting better at whatever it is and get invested in the topic. 

Sometimes you get so good and/or invested, other opportunities arise from your hobby and your achievement levels within that hobby. 

Many artists and musicians, for example, started by just starting out doing it as a hobby, then it turned into a successful career. 

Or some hobbies spread out differently than just work. Some people want to keep their hobbies separate from their work. Which is totally fair. However, that doesn’t mean your hobby can’t still grow. An example of this is getting stronger and better at hiking. You work and train and demolish all the hills and mountains in your area. So you take it one step further and travel to a bigger mountain a few hours away. Next you try one in a different state or province. Then maybe a different country or a legendary mountain. 

The point being that you can start a hobby and it can progress into something much bigger, if you want it too.

Pros and Cons

Like everything in this world, there are pros and cons to having a hobby. Don’t get me wrong, having a hobby is wonderful and highly recommended by not just me but actual professionals who have studied it. However, there are some things that you should know about hobbies.

Pros

• Something to do – having an interest or hobby keeps you busy in times of boredom. So you aren’t always just sitting around, but doing something you like. 
• Increases happiness and therefore mood – actively doing something you enjoy brings happiness into your life. More happiness will in turn increase your mood. 
• Lowers stress and anxiety – like above doing something you enjoy will increase your mood, therefore helping your mental health by decreasing your stress and anxiety. 
• Helps social skills – like stated above, hobbies and interests can increase your socializing skills and help relationships. 

Cons 

• Can be time consuming – some hobbies can take time to complete or even take time to learn the skill. 
• Cost money – most, if not all, hobbies and interests you have to purchase the equipment or items and that can be costly. Depending on the hobby you decide to pick up. Also once you get good enough and start to broaden your spectrum things can start to become more expensive. 
• May get frustrated at times – practice makes perfect and the same goes for your hobbies. So when first starting out and learning it can be hard, annoying and even frustrating at times. 

Like I said before, everything in life has pros and cons, including interests and hobbies. However, in this scenario the pros definitely outweigh the cons, in my opinion. Some of the cons may be hard to overcome, but they can easily be accomplished, and then things will work out in the end. 

Just like everything in life you have to weigh the pros and cons. Does starting a hobby make sense for you? Will it fit into your life okay? Do the pros outweigh the cons for you?

It all depends on the hobbies you want to start based on your interests. The hobbies you like will bring about different pros and cons. All the pros and cons above are summarized tips for the hobby world. There will be different cons and pros for each separate hobby. 

For example, painting as a hobby may cost more than going for walks. Or walks will get you exercise whereas painting won’t. Things like that are just a couple examples of how different hobbies have different good and bad things. Again, it depends on what hobby you decide. 

Did You Know?

You can have more than one hobby. You can have a hundred or hundreds if you want. It is up to you how many you want or want to try. I’ll talk about this for myself later, but billions of people have more than one hobby that they work on daily. If you think you can manage it, you might as well do it. 

Having more than one hobby going at a time can be beneficial because it gives you more variety. You won’t get bored of one thing as fast if you are switching back and forth from multiple things. 

We also, in many cases, have more than one interest and like I’ve talked about, our interests lead to our hobbies. Plus hobbies are interesting in themselves, leaving us wanting to try more than just one. So it makes sense to have or want to have more than just one hobby.

What Hobby Should I Start?

That is the question. What hobby should I start? Exciting news, literally whatever you want! 

Hobbies are strongly based on your interests. So whatever interests you have, that’s most likely what your hobby will be. But it doesn’t have to be, that is just a strong possibility and a good place to start. 

If you are wanting to start a hobby but aren’t sure where to begin, looking at what you are interested in is a great place to start. Most people’s interests progress into the hobbies they pick up. 

Things to Consider When Choosing a Hobby

• What you like to do – you want to choose a hobby that is something you like to do. If you pick up a hobby doing something you dislike, you aren’t going to enjoy doing it. This is where thinking about your interests comes in. 
• Cost – some hobbies cost more than others depending on the equipment or materials you need, if there’s classes, memberships, etc. So it is important to consider what you’ll have to spend to start it. And costs may vary as you get better at the hobby as well.
• Easily Accessible – if a hobby requires certain materials or classes, you have to consider if you are able to get access to those things with where you are living. With this you also need to consider if you have the time to go or if you maybe you can do it online. 

The Pros and Cons

Here is where you make your list of the pros and cons of the hobby you are considering taking part of. All the pros and cons above will take a place in this too but as I said there are different cons and pros based on the hobby you decide to start. So it’s important to think and consider those as well. 

I suggest making lists. Make a list of the hobbies you are thinking of starting, then make a pros and cons list for each of those hobbies. Thinking about the hobby itself, not just the pros and cons of hobbies in general. 

For example, say you are thinking of starting knitting. So you have your normal pros and cons of costs, something to do, helps your mental health, etc. However, there are more pros and cons that go with just knitting itself. It is a new skill you’ll have to learn so you will have to determine how you are gonna learn it; classes, free YouTube videos, how to books, online classes, many options. Then you have to get knitting needles and yarn. But, it is something you have wanted to try and think it will be fun. 

Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out what hobbies you are interested in and wanting to give a shot. Even after you’ve written out all your interests and things you like to do. 

So try this quiz to help you find a hobby that is right for you. Or look at this article of hobby ideas. 

Some Examples Of Different Hobbies

There are tons of different types and kinds of hobbies out there that you can try. Literally dozens!

Crafty Hobbies

• Crocheting
• Knitting
• Painting
• Embroidery 
• Drawing
• DIY projects 
• Interior Design
• Scrapbooking
• Puzzling
• Sewing 
• Bullet Journaling

Sporty Hobbies

• Hiking 
• Baseball 
• Hockey 
• Soccer
• Basketball 
• Curling 
• Rock Climbing 
• Snowboarding
• Horseback riding 
• Golf

Music Hobbies

• Guitar
• Piano 
• Singing 
• Song writing 
• Violin 
• Drumming 
• DJ
• Listening to Music

Fitness Hobbies

• Bodybuilding
• Weight lifting
• Swimming aerobics
• Yoga
• Cardio 
• Walking
• Kickboxing 

Writing Hobbies

• Ad writing 
• Novels
• Short Stories
• Songs
• Blogging

Making Money Hobbies

• Proofreading
• Tutoring 
• Virtual Assistant 
• Freelancing 
• Photography 
• Graphic Design 
• Photo Editing 
• Make digital products 

More Hobbies

• Cooking
• Baking 
• Gardening 
• Reading – even seasonal reading
• Journaling 
• Video Games
• Cake decorating 
• Flower Arrangements
• Events Planner 
• Pottery 

There are so many options for hobbies that you are bound to find something that is up for ally. For even more ideas go check out Pinterest and my Pinterest Page!

My Hobbies

Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to get a hobby and have given you many ideas to pick from, I’d like to share my hobbies. 

I have a lot of interests and hobbies that I like to switch from and do from time to time. Just to keep things interesting and not boring. Plus I like to try new things including hobbies. 

My Smaller Hobbies

I like doing crafts and having projects going that turn into cool and nice things. I like to create. I also like to try new craft like hobbies.

Crocheting

This is one that I am still learning even though I started about a year ago. But I enjoy trying and learning it. My mom is helping me learn! I’ve also just recently started trying hand crocheting and have been finding that really fun. 

Puzzling

Especially in the winter holiday season, I love to puzzle. It is a good pass time with a huge variety of different puzzles and pictures. It is also something you can do while you say watch tv or listen to music. 

Paint By Diamonds

Drawing and Watercolour Painting 

Bringing it back from my high school days, I’ve started drawing again. But this time I have also just started to learn how to paint with watercolours. 

Years ago, I loved to draw and was decent at it, but then life got busy and I had more responsibilities and just kind of fell out of it. Now I’m looking for more things to do because I have more time and started drawing again. Just like before it is relaxing and so satisfying to see your drawing come to life. 

Did You Know?

Many hobbies are like riding a bike. If life gets busy and more things arise leaving you to set aside your hobby, they are easy to pick up again. You may have to reteach yourself some things or practice for a bit again. But once you get going again it will all come back to you and it will be like you never left. 

My Other Hobbies

Listening to Music

I have always done this. Music is my go to stress reliever, soul healing, thing to do. I always have music on (or the TV) just so I have some noise. But music hits me hard. It is just my go to comfort zone. 

I also enjoy a lot of other entertainment like movies, podcasts, gaming and tv shows. I am a geeky person and enjoy superhero movies, fantasy stuff, and magic. These things don’t work quite the same for me as music does but they are a few of my pastimes, and are more of just my interests than hobbies. 

Reading

Reading has been a big thing for me for most of my life. I never go anywhere without a book. It is something that can let you escape reality and helps time go by. Added bonus, this hobby has a little something for everyone, which in turn gives a big scope for you to discover as well. I have usually read the young adult category, but have been diving into other categories like new adult, and adult fantasy. 

Audiobooks are also a really big thing now. So if you struggle to just read you can listen to an audiobook instead. I do this when I have things to do but want to read, like cleaning the house or folding laundry. 

Blogging and Writing

This hobby is slowly starting to become a career or something that I’m trying to make into a career. So it is a little bit different than my other hobbies. Only because I’m more serious with this and put a lot more time and effort into it. 

That being said, I love blogging and writing. It is also a stress reliever for me and something I’ve always wanted to do. I have always really enjoyed writing and I’m so excited to make it into something in my life. It is something I look forward to doing still and doesn’t drag me down like work would and does. And because of that feeling I know that this is a hobby that I won’t be giving up anytime soon and will always be excited about. 

It is one of those hobbies that we talked about that can lead to more. Using me as an example, I have now started up a digital products shop on Etsy that is based out of my SmallTownScribble website. And I have many other things brewing and am working on for the future. Things that I might not have been able to do, or wouldn’t work out as well, if I hadn’t started blogging and working on my writing. 

As you may have noticed, many of my hobbies are out of the comfort of my own home. That is because I am more of an introverted person, and so I need that time to relax and spend chilling at home to help me recharge. My hobbies help me do that. 

I also struggle with anxiety and depression, so all my hobbies are good stress relievers, even if they can be frustrating at times, i.e. crocheting haha. But they keep my mind off the things causing my stress and anxiety and make me focus on the task at hand, which helps calm me down. 

Find Your Passion

Again, using me as an example, starting and developing hobbies and interests can help you find your passion. 

I didn’t know what I wanted in my life or what I wanted to be. I went to college, started my job and realized that I didn’t love it like I thought I would. So I felt stuck. So I started SmallTownScribble as something to do that’s fun and to pass the time, and now I realize how much I love writing and editing and want to pursue that as a potential career. 

The same has happened for many people and the same could happen to you. You just need to try. 

Speaking of Trying

Hobbies and interests are great for getting you to try new things and expand your horizons. And it’s, usually, always good to try new things. 

Trying new hobbies helps you find things that you like and dislike, and like said above could find you your passion. 

All in all, hobbies and interests are great things. They are something that is all around and keeps us busy in life. They’re the things that we live on and love, and the things that help keep us going. 

They keep us sane, help stress and help build relationships. They keep life interesting and entertaining and so much more. Interests and hobbies are constantly in our lives, where some stick and some change. Because of this, it’s best to make it a priority in your life. 

References:

https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/meaningful-life/purposeful-activity/hobbieshttps://aytm.com/post/hobbies-survey/#:~:text=In%20Ask%20Your%20Target%20Market’s,having%20hobbies%20to%20be%20important.