Why hobbies are great for wellbeing

Hobbies are great for wellbeing for a number of reasons. 

Whether your hobby is active or not, it’s perhaps benefiting you in ways you might not have thought. 
 
If you don’t have a hobby, you could be missing out on a lot of positives that could unlock some wellbeing-related improvements in various areas of your life. 

Here, we’re going to focus on some of the benefits hobbies bring and provide some ideas on hobbies you could try. 

The benefits of hobbies:

From the obvious to the not-so-obvious, we present some of the benefits hobbies can bring below: 

• A sense of purpose and structure 

  Hobbies can help create a sense of purpose and structure. For example, you know you’re training [x] times per week, or you’ll be gaming on a given day of the week with your friends. This can carry across multiple weeks and months, with overarching objectives around these hobbies. E.G. do you have something you want to knit for your friend? Do you want to enter a competition?  

• Improved fitness 

  If your hobby is active, you’re undoubtedly benefiting from improved fitness and an endorphin release, which in turn contributes to your overall sense of wellbeing. If your hobby isn’t particularly active, you should consider incorporating plenty of stretch breaks and ensure your seat is comfortable, where possible.  

• Friendship 

  Making friends is so much easier when you have a shared interest or objective. There’s no pressure around it, but if you’re attending something weekly, you’re very likely to make new friends. Even if you’re very quiet and private, someone will potentially connect with you and you’ll have someone to lean on and share ideas with.  

• Mental stimulation and endurance 

  Keeping our brains active is easy with a hobby. Some of them really get you thinking, for example, if you attend a table top games club. Many sports get you thinking and then you have the added challenge of pairing physical actions with the thoughts you’re making in the moment.  

• Improved sleep 

  Hobbies can help with sleep for a number of reasons, however, it’s important to be mindful that physical activity too close to your bed time can be detrimental towards sleep. If for example you have rugby training that finishes at 9pm, consider staying up for a while and reading a book or similar, while that adrenalin runs its course.