During lockdown, many of us have been left with little contact with any other people. With all classes moved online and a limited ability to go outside, we’re looking for ways to keep ourselves entertained. Amidst the chaos of the pandemic, we have fortunately been granted with a lot of time, and we can invest this time into focusing on distracting ourselves with a new hobby.
So, why is starting a new hobby beneficial? Firstly, they can help you relieve stress. By giving your mind something else to focus on, especially something you enjoy, you can distract ourselves and have something to look forward to doing after finishing any pending work. Hobbies can bring you a sense of freedom that can help minimise the stress of any external situations, emphasising how beneficial they would be during the current crisis. Moreover, they can be extremely rewarding in most cases, as they boost our self-esteem and confidence. By trying out new hobbies, we can discover unexpected things we may have a natural talent at!
Hobbies provide us with new challenges to keep our minds engaged, and they are completely optional, so any problems that may arise will be less stressful than everyday issues. They also give us a goal to work towards and this helps motivate us. Having a hobby can even help improve your work life, as they can teach you how to think more creatively and show future employers that you have certain interests that you like to do with our time. In some cases, you could even take your hobbies as far as pursuing it as a part-time or full-time job and earn an additional income. For example, you could commission art, or design gardens as a part-time job, and gain some extra money. Hobbies can even help you become more patient, as in order to develop a new skill, it requires patience to really foster your skills, helping you be patient with yourself as you learn and grow. Acquiring hobbies can even make us more interesting as a person. As well as additional things to mention on a CV, you may even gain new experiences and stories to share with other people.
There are many fascinating hobbies to take up whilst in quarantine; some examples include doing a jigsaw puzzle, cooking and baking, reading books, knitting, embroidery or cross-stitching, filling in colouring books, and even picking up a new instrument! Now is the perfect time to gain some new skills, since we’re restricted indoors, so we should take advantage of the current situation.
By Sahana Motta
