While having a hobby is a great way to take time for yourself and relax, it has many more benefits than simply that.
According to a study published by Nature, engaging in hobbies is consistently associated with life satisfaction.
Hobbies include any activity that you do in your free time and can fall under many categories, such as creative, physical or relaxing activities. My current hobbies include coloring and working out.
I enjoy working out in the morning to get my blood pumping and wake me up, but it also makes me feel less stressed throughout the day. Coloring is something that helps me relax, and I can do it at any point in the day, but I enjoy doing it at night to help me wind down before bed.
Not only can your hobby help you to relieve stress, but if you find a good time in your schedule to do a certain activity, it may be more beneficial to your routine. In my case, coloring before bed helps me fall asleep easier.
Hobbies can be good for anyone at any age, but there is a myriad of reasons that they are especially beneficial for college students.
A Psychology Today article states, “while some hobbies are solitary endeavors, many get us out in our communities, meeting people we otherwise wouldn’t, sharing our passions and forming new bonds.”
I enjoy working out alone, but it’s also super fun to go to the gym with a friend or even walk the LSU’s lakes and talk to your best friend. In college, it’s so important to socialize when you can.
If you have a busy schedule, that makes it hard to see friends, so doing a hobby with a confidante can be a great way to spend time together. It’s also a great way to meet people, which is an important part of college, too.
The article above discusses how having a hobby can help you structure your time because if you plan to do your hobby at some point, you’ll be more likely to finish your other tasks quicker than if you had nothing to do.
A Grantford article discusses one more reason that having a hobby can be beneficial for college students: it helps them build mental resilience. It says, “The capacity to overcome obstacles and deal with pressure and difficulties is known as mental resilience.”
With the stresses of college, a social life, possibly a job and anything else going on, university students are having a trying time, so it is important that they build up their mental resilience.
This skill is important for college students to work through obstacles throughout their time in school. The article also explains how hobbies can help you develop a growth mindset because you may have roadblocks within your hobby that you have to work through.
Many people have a hobby without realizing it. If you journal, play video games or even just enjoy watching movies, these are all activities that help you to relax or have fun.
If you don’t have a hobby and spend a lot of time scrolling on your phone or being unproductive, you should find a hobby you’d like to partake in.
Kate Beske is a 21-year-old journalism senior from Destrehan, La.
