How do hobbies help your health?

~ Written by Cyra Henson

Everyone, over the years, finds a hobby or two they love; but here's how your hobbies can affect your social, mental and physical well being as-well as your overall happiness.

Finding a hobby right for you is never easy, trial and error being the usual way for most, but eventually finding those important sources of happiness can change the way in which you live your life completely. From kicking a ball around to collecting stamps, hobbies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; depending on how you like to spend your time. Having something to do to take your mind off of everyday life, and any stress that comes with it, can be great for your mental state. It gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in an activity that makes you happier and more relaxed; generally dimming any low moods and anxiety.

As a kid finding a hobby was easy due to a variety of school clubs encouraging you to partake, along with the ability to find amusement in the smallest of activities, made it at lot easier to find pastimes to find pleasure in. But as we get to the stage in our lives where our minds are solely focused around deadlines and finances, it can be hard to find time to explore new leisurely pursuits. Finding the time may seem like an impossible task, but when you take a step back and assess how your days are spent finding space for a hobby is very possible; even if it's only a few hours a week. Journalist and speaker, Laura Vanderkam explains 'Each week is made up of 168 hours. If you work 40 hours and sleep eight hours each night, that still leaves 72 hours.'. Obviously everyone has their own work schedule, and day to day life that can get in the way, but just taking a few of those hours for your own interests gives you that time for relaxation; and a break to prepare you for whatever the rest of the week consists of.

Many hobbies can easily slot into your schedule, and be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home. Get creative, and explore the world of arts and crafts, or test your physical ability with home workouts; there are numerous activities to do without even leaving your house. While independently partaking in hobbies can be fun, there are now many virtual ways to expand your social life or keep in contact with friends; such as playing video games with peers or trying out one of the many interactive entertainments available out there; with the ability to communicate with others.

For some, physical hobbies are a great way to relieve stress and blow off steam while helping positively influence your mind frame and general physical and mental health. Not all sports have to be team based, there are many hobbies ranging from high effort to low that you can enjoy on your own; based on what you prefer. Wanting to spending time alone isn't a bad thing, it often comes with improved concentration and productivity as well as boosts your creativity. Another positive factor, is that it's known to help support romantic, and platonic, relationships by allowing that time away to care of yourself. So with this in mind, if getting into a form of physical activity seems like the right route for you, make sure you explore all your options. A small study of Staffordshire university students, showed that the most preferred physical sport is swimming, second most favoured being boxing; but there are many options to get involved in.

“Individual sports combine physical fitness with mental development”

- Journalist, Kaitlin Ahren

While individual sport may have it's positives, it's still equally matched by the strengths playing in a team provides you with. Socialising and feeling part of a team can help boost your overall life satisfaction and lower your stress levels. Improving the rest of your time spent at work, or whatever your daily life contains, increasing your general happiness. Many say that when working out with a team it doesn't feel like exercise at all. Professor of sport and health science, Peter Krustrup, compared the enjoyment levels of joggers and football players during a study performed by the University of Copenhagen. Finding that the joggers had struggled with the work out, whereas the football players had enjoyed their time.

“It is fun and the team needs all players to contribute, and so they forget that it's hard.”

- Professor, Peter Krustrup

If you're wanting to utilise your hobby as a way to expand your social bubble, as going to somewhere new like university can sometimes make it tricky to socialise, there are many opportunities on and around campus for you to try and get involved in. With societies for you to join and explore you'll easily find the right fit for you, with chances to make friends along the way; and a chance to surround yourself with people that have similar interests to your own. From amateur dramatics to airsoft, there are a multitude of clubs for you to experience something new, with possibility of testing your own boundaries and improving your social skills along the way.

Your physical health will often improve with taking on certain hobbies, even if you don't notice the changes at first. Starting a new hobby introduces something new to your everyday routine, and so your body often takes some time to adjust. After a while, you'll notice yourself feeling more energised and less fatigued; caused by physical activity improving your cardio to the uplift in general mood from finding an activity to immerse yourself in. Not only are the physical benefits great, but it can also help to improve your mental wellbeing. As by being physically healthy, it's easier for your mind to stay focused on being productive and help keep stress low and positivity high.

Mental health on it's own is greatly effected by taking on a hobby to distract yourself once or twice a week. Small periods of time where your brain can relax, make it less likely for you to suffer from stress, low moods or depression. Spending time with a group or friends improves your communication skills as well as gives you the tools to navigate new relationships with those around you. Starting university can be terrifying for some, and mental health is usually around it's lowest, but by finding these foundations within the opportunities around you, you'll be able to find a way to adjust to your new life and pave a way for yourself to a more positive mental frame.

Overall, I hope this gives you a better insight into finding an interest or activity, and how it can affect you as an individual. With a constantly adapting market of hobbies to explore, finding the right one for you shouldn't come as too much of a difficult task. A range of benefits, that comes along with distracting your mind for a few hours, so there isn't really a reason not to. Take it one step at a time and explore what makes you happy, letting hobbies help your health along the way.