As we enter a new year, we’re all striving to become better versions of ourselves, whether that means wanting to exercise more, eating healthier, spending more time with friends, or pursuing personal goals like tackling that long-awaited project.
It could even be as simple as wanting to pick up a new hobby, which, according to a content creator named Isabellais actually something that we need to do to feel satisfied with our lives.
We live in a work-centric culture, and that means between full-time jobs and all our other responsibilities, leisure activities tend to fall by the wayside, but they shouldn’t.
In fact, a study from 2019 found that all the negative consequences of being overworked — something we all are in our current economy — can actually be mitigated by having leisure hobbies. That means a weekly class to learn how to crochet or your stamp collection actually helps with burnout, stress, and even depression from working long hours.
“I’ve recently started thinking about how every hobby you have should fit into four categories,” Isabella began in her TikTok video, “And you should have enough hobbies to fit all of these categories.”
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She explained that the first category is making/creating something, like crafts, writing, needlework, making music, or making art. The second category is consuming or appreciating art that someone else has made, which can mean listening to music, being an avid film-watcher, reading books, or being someone who collects any of the previous things as well.
Isabella continued, saying that the third category is anything that encourages you to get outside or be active. Whether it’s going to a workout class, doing yoga in your living room, or going for a walk around your neighborhood, as long as you’re getting outside and moving around, that is considered a hobby that can make quite a difference.
The fourth category is anything that encourages social interaction. This category of hobbies can usually be combined with one of the other three, like a book club or a cooking class.
“If you create something with people like you’re in a band or something, that is two of the categories,” Isabella said. “I feel like if you’re doing all of those things, your life’s probably good.”
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According to a 2024 poll from AYTMwhich surveyed 1,000 American adults, 67% of respondents reported having multiple hobbies. Eighteen percent said they just have one real hobby that they practice or participate in regularly, and 15% said they don’t have any hobbies.
Eight-five percent of overall respondents consider having hobbies to be important. However, 62% agree that they can also be time-consuming. And 63% said that they wish they had more time for hobbies in their lives.
the digital divide | Canva Pro
It’s been proven that having hobbies can make you a more well-rounded person, but unfortunately, in an age of hustle culture, it seems many people have forgotten what it means to actually have an interest outside of going to work and coming home.
Having a wide variety of hobbies, whether that’s sports, arts, or music, can truly open up a new avenue to develop skills that you normally wouldn’t think about doing.
Hobbies should never feel like work, and frankly, it’s a nice way to decompress from the stress of our everyday lives. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant, and you don’t need to be perfect at a hobby because it’s just for you.
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
