There is a motivational quote that states:
“Find three hobbies you love: One to make you money, One to keep you in shape and One to be creative.”
I first saw this quote during the COVID period, when we were all stuck in the house trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day until bedtime. So I thought about it and decided to buy 15 kilos of air clay to model and learn how to carve on a slab of clay. I have loved clay since I was a child, but only in the last six years have I used it. I confess: I love touching the clay, but I wouldn’t say I like the mock feeling…..
We all know about the benefits of having at least one hobby. I put the more common:
- Challenge yourself
- Feel more confident
- Help to release stress
- Help you to find a purpose
Down below, instead, I have listed the six benefits according to the “Psychology Today” website.
- Help you structure your time
- Promote flow ( active leisure)
- Promote social connection
- Make you more interesting/richness your self-concept
- The benefit that has in other aspects of your life, like family
- Help you to cope with stress
After going through some of the benefits of having a hobby, I want to discuss what kind of hobbies we should have. Well, there are plenty of hobbies to practise, and sometimes it is hard to choose, plus we ask ourselves questions like: what do I enjoy doing? Do I have time for this? or is it expensive? I can’t afford it. These are all legitimate questions to ask when we have doubts about something, and the good practice is to find an answer/solution to the problem. Instead, other times, we don’t fit for a specific one; like me, I’m short, so I cannot play basketball unless the net is lower than it actually is… you know, kids’ heights…and the same is true for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. There are activities that, even if you have hearing loss, you can still practice it.
The next question would be: How do I know which suits me? Here are some tips:
- Think about your childhood activities
- Know your limit
- Know what makes you happy doing
- Try a new activity that you have never practised. It can help you to have an idea of what kind of activities you prefer, like Indoor/outdoor, solitary/group, physical activity like running or mental activity like chess. Another possibility is that you might find a new hobby that you never knew you would enjoy doing.
- Know your abilities.
The list below shows you some activities you can practice independently or in a company. I took this list from a website where Robyn shared these activities to do with hard-of-hearing and deaf people:
- Art (encourage to express feelings with colours)
- Acting ( she uses the game Charade, where the person reads what to perform and then acts like it)
- Sport (target game, walking, tennis table…)
- Music (focus on the vibration of the sound)
- Clay modelling
- Writing anything
- Singing
- Exercise with whiteboard with instructions
- Puzzles (mental stimulation)
“Humans are a creative species; they have to find their way to express themselves.”
Click the link for the article: Activities for the Hearing-Impaired – Daily Sparkle.
Click the link to read the article on Psychology Today: Six Reasons to Get a Hobby | Psychology Today United Kingdom
