- Reduced Stress
- Better Mood
- Enhanced Creativity
- Lower Risk Of Mental Disorders
- Improved Social Connections
- Reading
- Gardening
- Outdoor Activity
- Painting
- Music
Introduction
Hobbies have been preventing humankind from succumbing to stress for centuries. Since the advent of civilization and culture, hobbies have remained a constant source of mental relief and relaxation for human beings.
While children have comparatively more time to spend on them, adults also make time from their busy days to engage in something that brings pleasure and joy. Hobbies can be more than just creative or fitness oriented.
They can be any activity that has meaning and enjoyment for you and your child. Be it an academic, athletic, creative purpose, or any relaxing activity, what matters is the voluntary expenditure of time and effort.
Hobbies can range from harmonizing with nature to eating various cuisines to discovering ancient ruins all over the world. The happiness and enjoyment it brings is its primary purpose. Here’s a quick guide on hobbies and their help in maintaining mental health.
Mental Benefits Of Hobbies
Reduced Stress
Hobbies are associated with lowering stress in children. Engaging in activities like painting and playing helps lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. As a result, hobbies help lower heartbeat and racing thoughts in kids, promoting mindfulness instead.
Better Mood
Engaging in hobbies like sports and dance enhances kids' moods and emotions. This is due to their bodies releasing mood-boosting endorphins and increasing blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain.
Enhanced Creativity
Hobbies like art, writing, and making songs involve a lot of creativity and imagination. Everyone is born with some creativity in them, but few are able to nurture and nourish it fully. Engaging in creative hobbies from a young age helps kids view the world differently. It also encourages them to imagine the impossible or unexplored terrains of creativity. This further helps kids develop an open-minded approach to the world and all its challenges.
Lower Risk Of Mental Disorders
Engaging in hobbies that delight your child on a daily basis helps lower the risk of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Kids who have wholesome hobbies and interests to focus on have less anxiety and stress triggers. This is because they are too mindfully busy to feel negative emotions.
Improved Social Connections
Trying out hobbies like dance or pottery often involves going to class to get better at one’s chosen or preferred pursuit. Such hobbies help kids improve their socializing skills and make friends. As a result, friendly competition and peer encouragement is also on their team.
Hobbies To Engage In To Promote Mental Health
Reading
Reading is an excellent hobby that every child should engage in. This is because reading takes them on adventures to faraway lands and islands of interesting information. It also enhances your child’s emotional vocabulary, and awareness, and promotes reflective thinking. While reading, children are too engrossed to focus on other worries and engage in mindfulness without even realizing it.
Gardening
As a hobby, gardening may appear unimpressive to some initially. But its benefits are surprising and substantial. Gardening inculcates mindful thinking and promotes improved mental health in all. It helps lower stress levels, boosts mood, and keeps anxious thoughts at bay. Gardening is also an excellent coping mechanism for handling negative emotions.
Outdoor Activity
Outdoor activities like doing fitness circuits, playing sports, walking in nature, or running on trails are great ways to enhance your child’s mental and physical well-being. Not only do they improve resilience and perseverance in them, but they also boost their fitness and stamina. Getting out in nature and embracing sunshine automatically promotes positive emotions in kids.
Painting
Painting is a wonderful hobby for kids of all ages and expertise to engage in. It does not matter if at the end of an hour, their painting resembles a cat more than a cow. What matters is their utter joy of playing with colors, choosing shades based on mood and emotions, and playing with shapes and figures. If they enjoy it sincerely, their drawing skills and mental health will only improve.
Music
Music is a great source of relaxation and motivation for all creatures. From animals to plants to humans, all enjoy listening to music and absorbing the frequency. Children who either play instruments, enjoy singing, or simply like listening to music enjoy a good mood, low stress levels, and an incredible drive to do better. This supports their mental health tremendously and imbues it with resilience and mindfulness.
Conclusion
Nowadays, children do not get many chances to engage in their hobbies daily due to the increasing academic demands of modern times. Their days grow busier, and leisure time recedes till it is nonexistent. Therefore, it is up to you to organize their daily schedule and help them make time for their hobbies. Try to find small gaps or breaks throughout the day or move up engagements to make some time at the end of the day.
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/having-a-hobby-tied-to-happiness-and-well-being
https://extension.usu.edu/mentalhealth/articles/how-hobbies-improve-mental-health
The views expressed are that of the expert alone.
The information provided in this content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider before making any significant changes to your diet, exercise, or medication routines.