4 High-Quality Hobbies For People Who Need Down Time But Hate Feeling Unproductive
Experts say high-quality hobbies vs. low-quality leisure can make a huge difference on mental health and wellness.
spoialabrothers | Shutterstock We have perhaps never been in more desperate need of leisure and relaxation than we are nowadays. Between political stress, economic chaos, ever-lengthening working hours, and ever-widening wealth gaps, plus the backbreaking duties of marital, household, and parental duties… Well, honestly, I'm exhausted just typing all of that stuff.
Jokes aside, absolutely everyone is feeling stretched thin these days, and the answer is more leisure time. But all too often, our leisure time ends up stressing us out even more. That's in part because our goal-oriented tendencies are actually an inherent part of human nature wired right into our DNA, so when we come away from our leisure with something to show for it, it has all the more impact. And experts like Katina Bajaj say high-quality leisure allows us to engage in "wakeful rest" that leaves us feeling energized instead of flat.
Here are 4 examples of high-quality leisure that will leave you feeling accomplished and rejuvenated:
1. Creative pursuits and projects
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Painting. Writing. Making videos. Writing a song. Knitting a sweater. The possibilities are endless, and the form doesn't really matter.
But a creative hobby has been shown to have very real cognitive and emotional benefits, both because they engage your brain and because you have something tangible to show for your leisure time — as opposed to mindlessly scrolling on your phone and realizing you've just lost four hours without even realizing it!
A study from 2010 even found that having a creative hobby can help prevent dementia later in life.
2. Active hobbies
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This encompasses everything from hiking to sports to volunteering, basically any activity that gets you out in the world and moving around, whether you do it solo, with a partner, or on a team.
Studies have shown that these kinds of activities foster a sense of empowerment in individuals and social cohesion when done in group settings, which is more than you can say for vegging out in front of Netflix!
3. Learning new skills
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This could take the form of attending a class or workshop or signing up for an online course. Baking, a foreign language, crafts — one friend of mine signed up for an online astrology course. Whatever strikes your fancy!
Studies have repeatedly shown that "project-based" leisure has significantly more benefits than simply lazing about or even going on vacation. Even better, those benefits last a lot longer than other forms of leisure.
4. Social interaction
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For you joiners out there, this is any kind of activity that requires group participation, from attending a religious service to joining a book club or, like me and a friend of mine, a standing monthly date at the giant farmer's market in our city (weather permitting, of course).
Much like shared active hobbies, leisure done with others helps scratch our evolutionary itch for community, which is another thing that mindlessly scrolling on our phones can't provide.
As Bajaj put it, high-quality leisure activities "allow our brains and our bodies to engage in what we call wakeful rest … essentially allowing our brains and our cognition to mentally repair."
So swap out at least some of that scrolling or binge-watching time with something relaxing but productive, and your brain will actually thank you!
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
