Read more Be Well.<\/a><\/p>\nA mix of enjoyable activities is fine<\/p>\n
Some people feel pressured to find the \u201cideal\u201d hobby that will perfectly optimize their free time \u2014 but there\u2019s no such thing, said Sarah Pressman, a professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine who has studied leisure time. <\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a mix of small enjoyable activities \u2014 a little bit of pickleball, cooking something new, chatting with a friend over coffee, spending some time in your garden \u2014 can have a cumulative effect on your mood and health,\u201d she said. \u201cSo rather than putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect pastime, just ask, \u2018What brings me a little joy today?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Similarly, hobbies don\u2019t have to fill hours upon hours of time to be beneficial, said Matthew Zawadzki, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of California, Merced who has studied hobbies. <\/p>\n
Start small by thinking about activities that would be fulfilling for 20, 10 or even five minutes at a time. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe really need to embrace small engagements with our leisure,\u201d he said, particularly given how many other demands there are on our time.<\/p>\n
A pastime may not reset your life, \u201cbut instead it\u2019s going to reset the next hour,\u201d Zawadzki said.<\/p>\n
Try lots of things<\/p>\n
Cast a wide net.<\/p>\n
\u201cTest out a few activities for 30 minutes each and just notice how they make you feel,\u201d Pressman said. \u201cThink of it like dating. You may have to go on a few first dates before you find your match.\u201d<\/p>\n
Think about how activities you loved as a child could be adapted for adulthood, or about things that you naturally lose track of time while doing, she suggested.<\/p>\n
It can also be helpful to consider what you\u2019re missing, or want more of, in your daily routine, Zawadzki said. If you feel too sedentary, try a new form of fitness. If you need to get out of your head, pick up an engrossing book. If you feel starved for social connection, join a club or volunteer. If you haven\u2019t used your creative muscles in a while, pick up a paintbrush.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about being more intentional about how you use your time,\u201d Zawadzki said.<\/p>\n
Ask for recommendations<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to think past what we currently do,\u201d Zawadzki said. So, outsource your search. <\/p>\n
Just as you\u2019d ask a friend for a book or movie recommendation, ask your loved ones which activities they\u2019d recommend for someone with your interests and tastes. Make sure they\u2019re aware of any financial, time or space constraints, too.<\/p>\n
Make your hobbies as accessible as screen time\u2026<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re used to spending your evening in front of the TV, it can be hard to put those hours to new use \u2014even once you\u2019ve found a rewarding hobby.<\/p>\n
\u201cScreens are so easy,\u201d said Gabriela Tonietto, an associate professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School who has studied leisure time.<\/p>\n
So, keep your sketchpad or crossword puzzle in plain sight rather than stored away, Pressman suggested, and flow directly from work or dinner into hobby time before you get distracted by screens.<\/p>\n
Setting specific goals (not just, \u201cI want to reduce screen time,\u201d but something like, \u201cI will read for an hour before bed\u201d), carving out designated time for your activity, and enlisting a hobby buddy for accountability can all help you stick to your pastime, Tonietto said.<\/p>\n
\u2026but don\u2019t beat yourself up if the screens sometimes win<\/p>\n
Screen time isn\u2019t inherently bad, Zawadzki said. Watching a movie with your family can be a bonding activity \u2014 especially if you talk about it afterward \u2014 and catching up with a juicy TV show on the treadmill may motivate you to exercise. <\/p>\n
\u201cAny kind of activity has the potential to be positive,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you have to optimize it a little bit to serve your goals,\u201d and set a cap on how much time you spend vegging out. <\/p>\n
So don\u2019t be too hard on yourself if you can\u2019t totally quit your screen-based hobbies. They may have some benefits too \u2014 and recognizing them is half the battle. Tonietto\u2019s research suggests<\/a> that viewing leisure time as wasteful can make it less enjoyable and beneficial. <\/p>\n\u201cStep one is actually experiencing that positivity when you engage in these activities,\u201d Tonietto said. \u201cThe consequences of that are feeling more relaxed, feeling less stressed, feeling happier.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During the winter of 2024, Rachel Martin came to a startling realization: She spent most of her free…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[844,793,97,845,149,94212,70969,94211,28671,74,795],"class_list":{"0":"post-153544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-be-well","9":"tag-general-news","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-jwd-evergreen","12":"tag-lifestyle","13":"tag-matthew-zawadzki","14":"tag-rachel-martin","15":"tag-sarah-pressman","16":"tag-sydney","17":"tag-technology","18":"tag-u-s-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}