What do you do for fun? What are your favorite hobbies as an adult?
I caught myself thinking of an answer to those same questions a few months ago, and honestly, I had nothing to say. It’s easy to get lost in the hustle of life, as adults, which leads to burn out and little time for the hobbies we enjoy.
This was the story of my life in 2022. I planned our wedding (#GoingGates), got married, made a year at my job, kept up a social life, was involved in my church, worked as a freelance writer, and so much more. This left little time for hobbies that I enjoyed. It got to the point that when I had downtime all I wanted to do was watch TV or go on social media. I had no energy! I lost my passion for hobbies I used to enjoy like singing, playing instruments, writing, and reading.
One day I came to the realization that I wasn’t allowing myself time to enjoy my hobbies.
Making room for my hobbies as an adult
Once I realized I had stopped indulging in hobbies I was passionate about, I knew I had to get to the root cause of why. In the end, what it really boiled down to was this — I was too busy!
Prayer is an essential part of my life.
In that moment I remember asking God to help me clear my schedule and reveal my passions to me again.
The more I prayed, the more I felt God leading me to declutter my life (say NO more often) and return back to the activities I loved. Not as a reward, but just because. I’ll touch on this point in a bit!
To start that process I actually took a trip through memory lane and took notes on activities I regularly did as a child, teenager, and currently in my 20’s. I took a notes on each of those activities to keep them front and center, and compared them to what I currently did for fun.
At the time those activities were browsing social media, binge watching TV shows, and spending way too much money on Amazon. (only slightly kidding) From that first list I compiled I picked a few hobbies that seemed to stick with me throughout the years.
My list consisted of the following:
- Reading (mostly fiction)
- Playing the piano
- Singing on the worship team at church
- Writing ( I tried writing several books)
It’s funny. Once I compiled this list I felt giddy with excitement. I remember telling myself, “Yay! I get to read again,”. As if reading a book I enjoyed, should only be done as a reward. God showed me in that moment that doing activities you enjoy isn’t something that has to be earned. That realization was so freeing!
Returning to my inner child
These past few months I’ve slowly, but surely been giving myself the space to return to my hobbies.
Here’s what that’s looked like for me:
- I got a library card again and I’ve read close to 15 books since July!
- I began teaching myself how to play the violin & started practicing guitar again.
- My goal is to hopefully join the worship team at my church at the start of 2024.
- I relaunched my blog with new and exciting content.
- I started a small book club!
While this is still a work in progress for me, I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
Now it’s your turn
One last thought!
Having hobbies as an adult can be tough. I feel like often we try to reinvent ourselves and force ourselves to like certain things because it’s the “it” thing too do. Or, to my earlier point, we feel like fun has to be earned. Both of these narratives are harmful because not only are we doing a disservice to ourselves, we’re forgetting the unique things God has placed in our lives to enjoy.
So, if there are desires and/or hobbies near and dear to your heart that you’ve placed to the side I encourage you to pick them up again. You won’t regret it.
If you’re unsure of what you like to do, that’s okay too. Here’s a great resource to get your mind moving!
What are some of your favorite hobbies? Let me know in the comments below!
