Certainly one of the best advantages of pursuing a hobby is allowing quiet time away from the daily grind to decompress. Maintaining focus on something you enjoy or discovering new talent without the distractions of the outside world can allow an emotional outlet and as a way to gain new knowledge. "Making time for enjoyable activities stimulates parts of the brain that are associated with creative and positive thinking. You become emotionally and intellectually motivated," says Seema Hingoranny, well known clinical psychologist and psychotherapist (Sharma, 2011).
Remaining passionate about your hobby can help keep you focused and can help you develop the talents you may have forgotten you had or maybe that you didn’t realize you had. When one indulges in their hobbies it can be a time to demonstrate positive thoughts rather than focusing on the negative. Since one will be channeling that energy into something positive or learning a new skill, there will be less time to remain idle, and we know the saying about idle minds.
Our lives can be extremely stressful and having a hobby can be a creative outlet. While there are those that think coming home from a long day at work to watch television is a great way to unwind; however, developing a hobby can offer intellectual stimulation and can be truly relaxing. A hobby such as knitting or crocheting, for example, provides repetitive action and, therefore, can be extremely calming. In an interesting article, a stimulating question arises, “Time heals all wounds. But until time
References: Monson, N. 2005. The healing Power of Crafts: My Yarn [Blog Post] Retrieved from http://yarn.sketchings.com/?p=67_truncated Sharma, P. 2011. Pursue Your Hobby at Work for Relaxation [News Article] Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-23/work/29694374_1_hobby-time-management-carbon-footprint_truncated