Thirty One Days Of Happiness Tips Day 16

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                                                      Image:Free-Photos from Pixabay

Wikipedia says a hobby is 'an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.' Cambridge Dictionary gives the definition of pleasure as 'enjoyment, happiness, or satisfaction or something that gives this.' Today's happiness tip is to spend time enjoying a hobby.
Do you enjoy spending time on a hobby? You have probably noticed having a hobby can make you happier. Involvement in a hobby can also make you healthier. Research has shown a hobby can reduce stress, lower heart rate and make a person happier not just while they are actively involved with the hobby but hours later. A hobby also gives one something to look forward to.
When a person is very involved with paid work, a career, bringing up children or caring for a family member who is frail aged or has a disability they may feel they don’t have time for a hobby. Years ago I found myself in this position. When I was asked what I did in my spare time I would answer that I used to enjoy creative writing, taking photos, pottery, gardening and creating recipes.

I am fortunate to once again have time to enjoy hobbies.
Hobbies can take many forms. What one person may consider a hobby another may regard as 'work'. For some a hobby becomes a way of making money either as a side hustle or as their main source of income. These factors may have an influence on whether a hobby increases happiness or not, I don't know but it's a possibility.
Examples of hobbies
There are many hobbies and just a few are -
  • quilting
  • pottery
  • ceramics
  • knitting
  • writing poetry
  • writing short stories
  • gardening
  • reading
  • sketching
  • oil painting
  • mosaics
  • embroidery
  • team sports such as basketball,cricket etc
  • swimming
  • cooking
  • playing the piano
  • playing guitar
  • photography
  • blogging
  • chess
  • woodwork
  • restoring furniture
  • word puzzles
  • hiking
What happens when you are absorbed in your hobby?
When you are concentrating on your hobby and not being distracted you get into a state of 'flow', sometimes called 'in the zone'. Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard University carried out research which showed people who had experienced this state of flow reported feeling happier for as many as three days afterwards. They also felt a higher level of creativity and were more productive for the same amount of time.
Other ways hobbies can contribute to happiness
Some hobbies are done with a group of people and connecting socially with others is known to be a factor in happiness. http://simpleselfimprovement.blogspot.com/2020/03/thirty-one-days-of-happiness-tips-day-13.html Having a hobby gives you something interesting to talk about with others. You may make new friends through your hobby. I belong to a writers' group where I have made new friends and we sometimes get together for a meal or coffee in addition to meetings.
Some hobbies involve getting exercise and being active contributes to happiness. http://simpleselfimprovement.blogspot.com/2020/03/thirty-one-days-of-happiness-tips-day-3.html Perhaps your hobby is an activity known to boost happiness such as gardening.

A hobby is fun and having fun increases your happiness. For further information about the benefits of hobbies, take a look at -

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