Impact of Hobbies on Mental Health

Hobbies are a very potent way of improving mental health with several psychological benefits, which include a sense of purpose and achievement that impacts self-esteem and confidence. When people do something interesting or fascinating, they usually achieve a flow state in their minds in which they are fully focused on the activity. This gives an opportunity to forget about all matters of everyday life for a while, to run away from all the problems and stresses, and to let the mind be balanced and relaxed.

It is quite reasonable that many hobbies are social in nature, and they are implemented through group activities, clubs, or a community online. Obviously, this will lead to connections among people and a decrease in the feeling of loneliness and increased feeling of isolation, namely socialising skills, which will be a source of emotional support, encouragement, and a sense of belonging, which is great for mental health.

Most hobbies involve an opportunity to learn something new or to develop old skills that, in the long run, are beneficial or helpful for intellectual activity, and that is a good way not to allow the brain to be lazy and thus keep it sharp and involved in matters, which in turn results in good mental health.

Hobbies obviously help us cope with stress and other external problems in our lives, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between practising your hobby and pursuing it as a career. Many people usually find it gratifying to pursue their passion as a job, but sometimes it becomes a burden, which makes us find it hard to practise or complete things as our mind then thinks of it as a task and not something fun, taking the livelihood of that person away. For example, a musician who is famous or is trying to make his or her way into the industry has an umpteen amount of stress and overthinking to go through every day, making their instrument or vocals boring or unpleasant at some point. This beats the entire purpose of having a hobby, which is why we should always keep in mind what we are stepping into and plan things out.

There will always be pros and cons to every single decision you make. The best part about it is that you get to make it according to your expectations and choices. So, whenever you're confused about this specific decision, always make sure it doesn’t take the fun out of your passion.

-Aarush Jotwani and Zaena Lakhani