“What are your hobbies/interests” is not just another typical HR-round interview question that you must prepare for every other job application you put. It’s something worthwhile to ponder about.
Hobbies are not just simple leisure activities that you could pursue in your free time. Rather, they can be something really relevant for enhancing your skillset or knowledge base. They can relax you, fulfill you, fill you up with positivity, and boost your day-to-day productivity. Essentially, hobbies can make you a happier person in life.
For some of you who’re still struggling to develop a hobby, here are some constructive hobbies that you can really think of developing basis your interest.
1. Let’s begin with the obvious. Reading
You have heard this a lot. Books, be it fiction or non-fiction, offer you a perspective. They prompt you to dig deep into the depths of your imagination by making you traverse miles through the looking pages. Moreover, you become a patient person just by the effort to finish a 300-page book. Not just books, you can read articles, newspapers, opinion pieces, or anything substantial for that matter. The hobby of reading stimulates the intellect, expands the vocabulary, improves memory, and catalyzes empathy in an individual.
2. Gardening. You need to take care of your plants
Taking care of your plants like babies and seeing them grow and produce flowers, fruits, and veggies is wholesome. A hobby like gardening —but of course— demands commitment, precision, concentration, and some real hard work. But it effectively de-stresses you as well. It offers respite from the daily chaos of life and allows you a moment solely with yourself and your plants. Also, when you’re gardening, you’re not just being kind to nature but to your physical and mental health as well.
3. Cooking. We don’t have to be chefs
Now, you may not like cooking since you already cook in excess.; this is not for you. This is for people who enjoy cooking or seek to learn the same. Cooking is a constructive hobby. It grips your focus on the task at hand. Your mind gets preoccupied with cutting the veggies, adding the spices, personalizing the taste, presenting the meal in the most aesthetic way possible, and serving the delicious food to yourself and your loved ones. It consumes your attention, and just the idea of serving people you love is very wholesome. The hobby has many facets; you can try experimenting with new flavors, make your favorite meal, attempt something entirely new, or bake mouth-watering cakes.
4. Just dance
Dancing is an artistic form of self-expression. If you don’t wish to go to a dance class or a studio, just lock yourself in your room and groove to the music. When your body moves, it releases its pent-up agony with the beats of the rhythm. Dancing makes your body flexible, your thoughts lighter, and mind clearer. If you’re searching for inspiration to practice a particular dance form, there is no dearth of content online. You just need to take the first step.
5. Grab your colors and paint
Pens, pencils, colors, grab anything you like, and create art. Creating something is very therapeutic, and you don’t even have to be perfect because no one’s judging you. Painting, sketching, calligraphy, mandala, or anything you like, allows you to connect and manifest your creative side. When your mind is super-focused on your work-in-progress art piece, all your worries and stress take a back seat, and you feel light in the head. Isn’t that what we all want? I say art because it’s very subjective. It could be sand-art or crafting something out of the waste. So focus on what stirs your artistic side the most and get down to it.
6. Go explore the world. Travel
If your work is not related to travel, pursuing it as a hobby can be challenging. However, it’s not undoable. You can try workcation, weekend trips to short-haul destinations, or a full-fledged vacation. You can even go trekking and be one with nature. Traveling allows you to unplug from the daily monotony of life, mingle with new cultures, and experience the exquisite beauty of nature. It can seduce your senses, calm your mind, and offer you a perspective on life.
7. Write. We’re not asking you to write Harry Potter
No, writing is not just for improving writing skills. It also helps in processing thoughts, expanding imagination, and expressing emotions. By freewriting, you can emulate your piled-up frustration on a piece of paper and feel light in the head. Journaling every day becomes an effective de-stressor from the chaos of life. In fact, writing a book, short story, or article also prompts you to research and amalgamate information with creativity and present it most engagingly. Besides, during the process of writing, you learn so much about the world or even yourself.
8. Do any form of workout or physical activity
I have spoken about the importance of practicing at least one form of physical activity before. Like dancing, any form of workout is healthy for the body. It helps in boosting the body’s metabolism rate, balancing blood-sugar levels, and reducing stress. It gives you headspace. Exercising also releases endorphins, a hormone that lifts up your mood. Besides, you can start with workout buddies but can end up making some real lifelong friends, which means it can fulfill your social needs as well.
9. Photography. We all have smartphones
We don’t have to waste our time clicking a thousand selfies just for a perfect Instagram post. However, we can use our HD lenses to capture little nuances of life. Look around you, and you’ll find the world brimming with stories. Every piece of object is content, right from this baby’s crackle to that random man sitting dejectedly on a park bench. Photography speaks volumes about your artistic touch, your ability to decipher people and places, and your technical expertise with the camera and lenses. Even if you don’t have a professional equipment, your camera lenses are enough to spill stories.
10. Learn a musical instrument
Do you love music? Then, losing yourself to the chords of a guitar, keys of a piano, or any musical instrument you like could be your thing. But mind you, it demands sheer commitment and willingness. Learning an instrument sharpens your memory, gives you a sense of self-confidence and de-stresses your mind. You could compose your own melody and express emotions through music. It also becomes a great ice-breaker and enables one to connect with like-minded people. The joy of playing an instrument is beautiful. You can give it a shot.
11. Get started with home décor
If you’re into decorating stuff and like aesthetics, look around you and transform your room. Creativity begins at home. There are a plethora of home décor ideas available on Pinterest. Pick anything you like and get to it. Or use your imagination and make the ultimate metamorphosis. In the end, you’ll feel accomplished. You’ll feel happier coming to your house every day. You can even extend this hobby to your entire house, workspace, and literally every other arena of your life. This could even become your career, for that matter.