Have you got time on your hands? Want to find a new hobby or past time that you are interested in? If you don't know where to start, why not check out our guide to see how you could fill your time and keep active?
Many people have a hobby and it’s no surprise at all, hobbies can be a great way to spend your time, they can stop you from feeling bored and even provide you with opportunities to meet a lot of new people who share your hobby interest.
Additionally, hobbies can help you to keep your brain active – by learning something new you can keep your mind alert and discover a new activity that you can enjoy in the long-term. It doesn’t matter how old you are – there is a hobby for just about everyone!
So, if you don’t have a hobby and you are looking to find one, what kind of hobbies could you do? Many of us will class watching television or surfing the internet as hobbies, but they are both activities that are fairly unproductive.
Ideally, a hobby should stimulate your interests and get you up and moving – hobbies such as gardening or sports can be a brilliant way to keep your mind and body active, meet new people and also have a lot of fun. However, if you prefer a more relaxing lifestyle, you can consider other options such as collecting, writing, painting or drawing.
You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy a creative hobby – many people love to draw, so they do it in their spare time as a hobby. The main thing to remember is that hobbies should be fun, not something that you force yourself to do out of boredom, so think about the activities that you enjoy and start to do them more!
By getting a hobby that you enjoy you could even reduce your stress levels and find a new way to unwind when you get home from work. Don’t forget that hobbies need not be a solo activity, if you can find a hobby that your family or friends can enjoy with you, it can be a brilliant way to bond with your loved ones.
Naturally, the kind of hobby that you decide to take up will very much depend on your own personal circumstances, for example, if you plan to collect items (i.e.. stamps, books, antiques etc.) you will need adequate storage space to keep your items. The same rule applies to any sporting hobbies where equipment (i.e.. golf clubs, footballs, fishing equipment) is used. A hobby should enhance your life – but it should not completely take over it, so think about viable but enjoyable hobby options.
You may find that once you have had a hobby for a while, you get very good at it. As an example, you may not have tried a sport before, but once you have practised a lot, you may find that you want to compete at a higher level.
On the other hand, if you make things as part of your hobby i.e.. painting or crafts, you may even be able to turn your hobby into a career and make money out of it! Whatever hobby you decide to choose, the most important thing is to enjoy it, so have fun finding new hobbies!