Are you living life at a cracking pace? Like me, do you find there never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to be done? Let alone finding the time for leisure interests.
We’re probably all guilty of packing far too much into each day and all too often we forget to cut ourselves some slack. It’s easy to forget ourselves and what is really important as we hustle and bustle through all the chaos that life can regularly throw at us.
That’s why hobbies are so important.
When I was young, I always thought a hobby had to be something you were good at that required lots of practice and ability and I was never really good at anything. Turns out I had it all wrong.
A hobby can simply be something that interests you or distracts you and helps you to relax.
My Mum was never idle; when she wasn’t working, doing all the books for Dad’s business and running our household; she was always doing something crafty.
Mum was a brilliant dressmaker and designer, which she did professionally. She could also knit and crochet and would constantly be doing something with her hands even while she sat watching TV.
Dad hated the sound of knitting needles clicking together so Mum switched to crocheting and all of the incredible items she made in her spare time, like crocheted purses and handbags, covered coat hangers and stunning shawls would be the first things to be snapped up on the local fund-raising stall her Lioness Club held a couple of times each year.
Mum tried to teach me to knit and crochet but she said I didn’t have the right tension. Instead of each stitch being uniform and each row the same, mine would be too loose in some areas and too tight in others.
I’m still very keen to learn how to crochet and even had my name down to do a course near me just before Covid hit. Unfortunately, like so many other things, it was cancelled. I have put it higher on my hobbies bucket list and will try and make it happen in 2023.
‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ is an old but very apt adage.
Making us more interesting is just one of the many positive effects hobbies can have on our lives.
Whether you do hobbies on our own or with others or a combination of the two, there are many, many benefits to taking some leisure time and side-tracking ourselves.
Hobbies become even more important as we age as they can help boost our physical and mental health.
Commonwealth Senior Living in Virginia USA has found these to be the top five benefits from undertaking hobbies in our 50s and older;
- Reduce and manage stress
- Challenges the brain which can decrease cognitive decline
- Supports the immune system
- May support mobility
- May improve social connections, in turn enhancing one’s mood
How much time you can devote to a hobby or hobbies will vary depending on your available free time and your physical abilities. However, simply making time for hobbies has proven to benefit our well-being.
Doing recreational pastimes we enjoy is fun and if you needed any more excuses to justify doing more leisure activities, then you’ll be pleased to know that we gain physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits while pursuing a hobby.
Hobbies Reduce Anxiety and Stress
Hobbies have certainly helped me handle my anxiety and stress levels. I remember back in 1990 when I was struck down with a huge bout of glandular fever. I was working 14-hour days seven days a week and had no life/work balance and my body decided it had had enough and gave me an enforced rest.
I had no energy to do anything physical and experienced severe bouts of depression as well, which I found out is a side-effect of glandular fever.
Not being able to work for months and months added to my financial stresses, which further contributed to my anxiety and depression. I couldn’t concentrate enough to read and was exhausted just walking to the bathroom and back.
The only thing that took mind off my concerns and distracted my brain and kept me sane was doing a cross-stitch tapestry.
It features Aussie fauna and flora corresponding to each letter of the alphabet and is now framed and hanging on my wall as a reminder for me to stop and smell the roses.
Hobbies were also a huge help to me during the pandemic. I found the lengthy lockdowns and the whole Covid pandemic very emotionally stressful and having hobbies was a fabulous diversion that helped centre me and stopping me from feeling overwhelmed. When I was in the zone with a hobby, time flew past and helped me to de-stress and relax.
One of my favourite hobbies during Covid was doing jigsaw puzzles. I bought a number of jigsaws featuring gorgeous colourful indigenous paintings along with other traditional paintings by famous centuries old artists. I even surprised myself at how fast I could pick up the patterns and colours.
I’m not one to put together a jigsaw puzzle only to take it apart again, just to do it again…doing it once is enough for me. After I finished putting them together, I glued them and mounted them on boards and they will soon hang throughout my nephew, Matthew’s group home, which is about to get a fresh coat of paint.
Physical Activities
Hobbies that include a physical activity will have significant impacts on our overall health. Whether it is playing a sport or being part of a sporting team, doing a dance class or bending up and down while gardening…every movement counts. Choosing to do regular physical activities will make you happier and healthier with the release of feel-good endorphins.
Reading
I wish I had more time to read for pleasure and not just for work research. There is nothing like relaxing with a good book and getting swept up in the story.
A good mate of mine’s Mum is about to turn 93 and she has always loved reading but never had the time to read much over the years. Her husband of 72 years passed away a couple of years ago and she found there was a large void in her day after devoting her life to him. She has since made reading more of a priority and now devours two to three books a week.
Instead of paying lots of money for all her books, she enjoys going to local markets and Op-Shops, where she picks them up for a dollar or two. When she finishes them, she donates them back to her local charity stores.
Painting
I’ve always admired people who can paint and I thought I’d be terrible at it but it turns out I’m ok at it. I’d never picked up a paint brush and put paint to canvas until I was approached about 10 years ago to be part of a charity event called Art by Celebrity.
A few high-profile people were approached to create a masterpiece that would be auctioned at a special event for charity.
A local art store kindly donated the canvas, paints and paint brushes and we could paint whatever we wanted to, and I loved every part of the process.
It was great fun unleashing my creativity and working with lots of colour and I was surprised and proud that it attracted the second largest amount for a painting on the night – $350, which went to the charity.
I’ve since enjoyed doing a painting class and I plan to do a couple more. There are a couple of blank canvases waiting for me to splash some paint on them and who knows what I’ll create next? Whatever it is, I know I’ll thoroughly enjoy doing it.
Social interaction
Hobbies are a great way to meet people who enjoy doing the same things as you. A dear friend, who is in her 80s and very spritely and young at heart, has lost her husband and a lot of friends her own age and she was finding it very challenging to make new friends. That was until she found community groups online, who share her interests and now she is happily building a whole new life for herself.
Volunteering is one of the hobbies she’s currently focussing on. She has to be careful with her money and she liked that all volunteering required was for her to give some of her free time.
It fills her heart knowing she’s helping to improve the lives of others. It’s also enabling her to stay active in her community, gives her social interaction with people of all ages, helps her maintain her self-worth and to stay relevant.
I also have a few friends who are in Probus and they love it.
Probus provides a great opportunity to meet people in your local community. If you are retired or semi – retired, you can join a Probus Club and hear interesting speakers, attend monthly meetings and enjoy a wide range of activities such as walking, theatre, coffee groups, lunches and day outings.
To find your nearest Probus Club click on this link and enter your postcode: https://www.probussouthpacific.org/
Another great organisation making a substantial contribution to our society by helping its members to remain healthy and active for longer, by keeping their brains active, doing interesting things and making new friends, is called U3A.
U3A is a worldwide self-help organisation promoting learning for personal enjoyment and wellbeing.
It’s short for the University of the Third Age, which is the age of active retirement (coming after the age of youth and work and home making). The University part is a loose term as there are no academic requirements for membership and no exams.
To find the U3a group near you click on this link: https://www.u3aonline.org.au/find-a-u3a
Whether your hobby is cooking or gardening, writing or travelling or you’re trying something new; no matter what it is you’ll never be bored or wonder how to fill your day.
Happy creating…cheers susie
About The Author - Susie Elelman
Susie Elelman is an Australian television presenter, radio broadcaster, and author, most famous for her appearances on daytime television in Australia. She has been an ambassador of the Australian Menopause Centre since 2016 and it is a pleasure to have such an influential figure support our work.