How to find a hobby
I’m entering my 30s realizing I don’t really have hobbies. I used to have a few, although they were never the center of my life. Nevertheless, I used to assemble model planes and ships, I attended MMA, dance and yoga classes, I kept a sourdough starter and baked for fun. Now that I have moved continents, the spray cans had to be left behind, I can’t afford to have my nose broken again, and the starter is dead. I’ve been so overwhelmed by work that I didn’t realize that I had been missing those activities, but recently, feeling the burnout creeping in, I decided I need to take a step back and take care of myself. That was easier said than done, because once I decided that I will take a break from work, I had no idea what to actually do with myself. For that reason I begun dreading long weekends and holidays. A part of it was a sense of guilt that I’m not working and that I’m not effectively relaxing either. I felt despondent, apathetic, bored. I don’t know why I’m writing in the past tense, this is still happening. Anyway, I decided that I need a new hobby, something creative or at least mentally engaging, something I would be excited about. But how do you begin finding such a thing? Answering this question requires introspection and trying out things even if they are unlikely to stick. It demands getting out there, out of my comfort zone. Thus far, I’ve compiled a list of activities that I even vaguely enjoy doing. I plan to go over the list and try out a creative hobby related to each activity and document my progress here. And hey, I’ve already started by creating this blog! Next up, I’ll try out a few solo TTRPGs, which I have a bunch of from itch.io bundles.
Here’s the list of activities I enjoy or things I care about and the related hobbies to try out:
- Writing (blogging, journaling)
- Gaming (board game design, game programming, solo TTRPGs)
- Eating (cooking, baking, fermenting stuff)
- Being in nature (gardening, bird-watching)
- Gym (signing up for a class)
- Learning (language, programming, random coursera course)
- Sustainability (some DIY project)
- Community prepping (???)