How do you spend your free time? Perhaps scrolling through Instagram, taking to Twitter or browsing Netflix?
The reality is that for most millennials, it’s likely to be most (or all) of the above.
This has become the norm for young people.
We can pretty much pin this down to one key reason – the growth in technology over the past decade.
With the risk of sounding like your old Aunt Margaret, we have to face the facts that – as a generation – we’ve become swept up in our phones and social media in our free time.
Whereas our mothers and grandmothers might pick up their knitting in the evenings, our time away from work is often spent uploading, surfing and screenshotting.
In fact, we seem to be spending more time watching influencers and celebrities talk about their lives on Instagram than getting out and living our own.
Screens are increasing our brain activity and so, as a result, our attention spans are dwindling and we’re looking to be constantly stimulated.
Technology is mostly to blame for this – but only because we have let it dominate.
Perhaps this is why easy, enjoyable activities such as reading, cooking or sewing have taken a back seat to Instagram and Netflix.
A tweet from a woman called Kashia on the last day of 2019 perfectly summed up this idea.
It read: ‘I feel like my generation lost hobbies.
‘Everything doesn’t have to be a hustle, side hustle, or money-making enterprise. sometimes it’s just fun to do something because it brings you joy, peace, relaxation, or allows you to be creative.
‘Let’s rediscover hobbies in 2020.’
i feel like my generation lost hobbies.
everything doesn’t have to be a hustle, side hustle, or money making enterprise. sometimes it’s just fun to do something because it brings you joy, peace, relaxation, or allows you to be creative.
let’s rediscover hobbies in 2020.
— Kashia (@kashia) December 31, 2019
Dr Yllka Krasniqi Morina, a psychologist for the NHS, agrees with the idea that hobbies should live outside of work. She believes they can not only bring instant joy but also long-term personal development.
She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Life is full of the daily mundane obligations, your “you” time is just as important as these. Outside often very long working hours and daily commitments, taking the time to give yourself something that brings joy and purpose is full of benefits for our mental health and wellbeing.
‘Direct benefits of hobbies include the physical (such as through exercise, dance and movement), feeling empowered through creative freedom and cognitive focus such as the ability to concentrate on a pleasurable activity without the day-to-day interruptions of life. As well as having control over how one spends their valuable time.
‘Indirect benefits of hobbies include a sense of achievement and goals, new learning experiences, increased social contact and formation of new connections.’
Some people have already turned to hobbies to help with general wellbeing.
Emma, from north London, tells Metro.co.uk she realised that she was constantly looking to her phone for stimulation. So towards the end of 2019, she took up an activity from her childhood.
She said: ‘I noticed that the amount of time I was spending on my phone was crazy and all I was really looking for was something to switch off in front of.
‘My grandmother had taught me to cross stitch as a child, so I took it back up again last year with the hope of keeping myself busy and I plan to continue in 2020.
‘It’s a really peaceful way to spend time and hours can fly by before I’ve even noticed.’
This notion of ‘switching off’ from the hustle and bustle of daily life is something we are seeing more of – especially in regards to helping with our mental health.
Over the past year or so we’ve been inundated with headlines telling us how our phones can contribute to anxiety and depression, but hobbies can provide the perfect antidote to stress.
This is because hobbies require an individual to focus solely on whatever it is they’re doing, putting other thoughts out of their mind for a few minutes or hours – which is ultimately the definition of mindfulness.
Coach and hypnosis trainer Rebecca Lockwood champions this idea that a hobby can help us be more mindful.
She says: ‘The mental health benefits of taking up hobbies can be huge. Not only does having a hobby keep you busy with something to do, it also gives you something to focus on and a direction.
‘Especially when you consistently take part in a hobby it gives you time to switch off and be more mindless than mindful giving you time to zone out of whatever is going on in life and work.
‘We hear a lot of people talking about mindfulness and meditation, having your own hobby can be your own version of this by taking the time out just to allow yourself to do things you enjoy.’
This is something Kate, a furniture designer from London, has noticed. She took up rock climbing last year and plans to continue it in 2020.
Kate said: ‘Last year, I started climbing every week with friends and I love it. It’s so much fun and great exercise.
‘Most importantly, it really helps me switch off from busy London life and clear my head.’
Of course, there are also physical benefits to hobbies, too.
Erin, a project manager, says she’s starting acrobatics this year – in the hope of getting fit in a fun way.
She said: ‘I hate the gym. But being over 25 and a big foodie, exercise is an unfortunate must for me.
‘When my friend suggested taking on the Intro to Acrobatics course at the National Centre for Circus Arts, I suddenly got excited to exercise again.
‘Starting next week, I’m looking forward to learning a new skill and flying into the new year with a weekly class with my best friend, as we did at gymnastics almost 20 years ago.’
The best part is that there’s something for every interest and budget, whether it’s baking, sketching, home-brewing, photography or hiking.
So, how do you spend your free time?
If the answer concerns you, it’s not too late to make a change.
Let’s bring back simple-yet-fun hobbies for 2020 and stop technology drowning them out.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/04/why-our-generation-needs-to-embrace-hobbies-in-2020-11996240/
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