Take up a hobby.
The relief and excitement and fulfillment of having something to focus on that does not include sitting in front of a computer and working for all the fame and fortune that academia can provide is well worth it. Taking time for yourself for nothing but pure fun might feel like a “waste” or even selfish, but trust me, it is anything but that.
A hobby is defined as any activity that fulfills the following criteria:
- Non-academic
- Requires learning a skill
- You enjoy doing it
- You do it on a regular basis
- Involves some kind of creative expression
It can be anything: yoga, ceramics, board games, painting, knitting, basketball, hiking, swimming, Pilates, kickboxing, rock climbing… something that is challenging yet requires different physical and mental effort than your normal life.
What is NOT a hobby?
- Watching TV
- Netflix
- Scrolling
- Cleaning
Sure, those things might be necessarily and certainly a great stress reliever. But they are more passive forms of consumption that don’t involve a skill or creativity. (Some people are very creative on Instagram, but I challenge you to seek other kinds of creativity that doesn’t involve quite so much screen time.)
My own hobbies include skiing, climbing, jiujitsu, and mountain biking. I also enjoy reading fiction, creative writing and learning Spanish. I find that when I don’t have these things in my life, I become like a dead-inside robot and start to get depressed.
Share below what kind of hobbies you are into and what kind of joy it has brought into your life.
