During job interviews, we are asked what our hobbies are. Most of our answers are catered towards the job we are applying for, and oftentimes dishonest. If you were to ask kids what are their hobbies are, they would say something along the lines of: watching TV playing video games, sports/outside activities, or something productive such as baking/reading. Those are much more interesting as they are sincere.
What we spend our free time doing, is a reflection of ourselves. Hobbies are a perfect way to wind down, and relieve some stress. Its never too late to learn something new, or acquire new experiences.
Lets talk about some hobbies that can boost our creativity, and skills.
Here are some examples that will help you explore your creativity, and are fun with company:
Art is a way of expressing ourselves. In my spare time I enjoy arts with my daughter as our mother-daughter bonding time.
Art includes visualization along with problem solving, both sides of our brain stimulate and foster our creative growth. Not only does it relieve stress, it can also boost our motor skills, and memory. How? As we dive into our imagination, we get to picture what fulfills us. We visualize what we want to create or express. The free will of creation, self expression, along with the creation of whatever we want is liberating. The creative process will set you free of any negative emotions you’ve been bottling up, and you’ll feel better throughout the process.
Puzzles improve our problem solving skills. Our logical mind starts working when we see a puzzle. Depending on your personality, you might like doing some of these.
Jigsaw puzzles improves our visuo-spatial skills and visual search skills. Even video games provide stress relief, problem solving skills, and a feeling of satisfaction when you progress. Escapism takes many forms, its in your hands to make it as productive and efficient as you want.
I used to love playing Chess. You can either be on the offensive first or defensive. The goal is to never put your king in danger. It is quite fun as you explore the vast variety of moves and possibilities. According to PopSci, there are more than a million ways to win in chess. There are times when you will lose, and you will learn from your mistakes. It stimulates our mind by pattern recognition and memorization. We see the patterns on each move we make and memorize where we can make better moves and what to avoid. Chess is another example of a skill in which you can indefinitely progress in, socialize during, and one that will translate into other aspect of your life.
Cooking is one of my favorite pastimes. There are indefinite combinations of ingredients we can experiment with. Once we create one dish our minds start racing, what goes well with this…what I can make from these…culinary art is incredible, our imagination is our limit. It also teaches discipline, you can’t serve inedible food. Cooking with kids is extremely rewarding, and seeing their smile as they eat the food they helped prepare is priceless. Your family will appreciate the time together, and the food so much more, when they have put in the effort to make it.
Hobbies are enjoyable solo but. it is way more fun to do it with your family or friends. Try these out with them and grow closer with one another. You can relieve stress and continuously develop your mind meanwhile spending quality time with your loved ones.
