How finding new hobbies in my 20s helped improve my wellbeing
- Riddhi Laijawala
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
Spoiler alert: You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it!
“What are your hobbies?” This is quite a common icebreaker when having a conversation. For quite a few years, when someone asked me that, I actually had to think about it, and didn’t quite have an answer. After all, scrolling endlessly on social media in the evenings isn’t really a hobby, is it?
As a part-time PhD student and a full-time researcher, finding new hobbies over the past 2 years has been a great way for me to unwind and find a suitable work-life balance.
As I have mentioned in previous articles, the pandemic was truly a catalyst for me to focus on my wellbeing, and it was only then that I started to truly think about self-care. That really was one positive that I took from the pandemic. It taught me many coping skills and self-care activities that I still use now to ensure I have a healthy work-life balance. I know that over the years, I digressed a bit, but I had to mention this to discuss why finding new hobbies in my 20s has been a subtle but very important part of my self-care.
Showing my vulnerable side, the second half of 2023 was a challenging time for me, and both my physical and mental health weren’t exactly the best. In January 2024, as I got back to London after a much-needed winter break at home, I decided to change this and prioritise overall wellbeing. After all, our physical health and mental health are so deeply interconnected.
Finding your creative side through hobbies
I discovered the relaxing effect colouring had on me. I came across this hobby unexpectedly- my cousin gave me a colouring book for adults, and I spent 2 hours that evening in my pyjamas, discovering just how well I could switch my mind off and enter the “Worlds of Wonder” (as the title of my favourite colouring book is aptly called). I have since diversified to paint-by-numbers kits, recommended by a family member whose pieces I love. Though I am not very good at it (painting has never been my forte), I have spent many evenings sitting on the couch with my paint and an episode of my comfort show (any Gilmore Girls fans here?).
Interestingly, creative leisure hobbies have been shown to have a positive impact on wellbeing and mental health in research studies. Take this study, for instance, which found that individuals who participated in arts and crafts activities and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects had higher levels of life satisfaction during the pandemic. Additionally, another study among older adults found that time spent doing craft activities led to improvements in cognitive performance.
Food and drink
My partner and I have been on a quest to find new hobbies together. For him, a more recent one has been coffee. In fact, it's his mission to find unique hobbies that inspired me to write this piece. Tired of relying on instant coffees during his time as a student, he decided to learn more about the entire coffee brewing process. He tried to use different methods and sourced different kinds of coffee beans from small, family-owned businesses, as compared to larger commercial companies.
One drawback of these kinds of hobbies we noticed, however, is that more often than not, they aren’t free and might not be the most accessible kind to do regularly if they require a financial investment. With that being said, if you are also a lover of food and drink, you can find sustainable hobbies that don’t break the bank.
Sports and physical activity
In our research group, we pride ourselves on being quite an active group. While running is the preferred hobby for our Editor in Chief, who ran his first marathon this year, others (like me) enjoy activities like yoga, Pilates, or swimming.
Personally, I started yoga last year because of the numerous benefits it has on physical and mental health (you can read more in this piece). I was very anxious to try out other workout classes, because of the internal monologues I had saying “you’ll be terrible at this, and make an embarrassment of yourself”. I slowly diversified to trying indoor spinning classes, and you guessed it, I took the bike furthest away from the instructor, in the last row, in a tiny corner. As I discovered how much I enjoyed it, I became more comfortable attending this more. Believe it or not, spending 45 minutes on a bike, with loud music, is oddly therapeutic, as I leave all the stress of the day outside. While I still, even a year later, struggle with my endurance and cannot always keep up with the instructor, I am glad that I did this, as it really pushed me to try new things for my physical health. If I hadn’t tried this, I wouldn’t have tried pickleball either. And if I hadn’t tried pickleball, I wouldn’t have joined the gym! Don’t get me wrong, I still have major gym anxiety, I will stick to the 5 machines I watched tutorials on, but hey, small steps lead to progress, right?
Years and years of research have shown that having activity-based hobbies, like sports or running have tremendous benefits on mental health. Take, for instance, this review, which found that participating in sports as an adult is associated with overall psychological wellbeing, especially when in the form of team sports. Similar results have been found when considering the impact of running on mental health.
My key takeaway
One of my key takeaways from this journey has been that you don’t need to be good at something to enjoy it. My paint strokes are messy, I don’t have much endurance during a spin class, and I’m not flexible enough to do the most aesthetic yoga poses. But they make me happy. They relax me, and they allow me to learn more about myself. So, the next time you’re afraid to try something new, think about this piece and dive right in.
