Hobbies Impact on Your Overall Well-being

An older gentleman gave parental advice.  “When your children begin dating, ask the young man or lady what their hobbies are." He continued, “If the young man or lady doesn’t have a hobby, then your child becomes their hobby. It is a sign of their mental well-being.”

Young volunteers engage in community service by using their artistic skills to paint a colorful mural, brightening up the neighborhood and fostering creativity.

Research also supported the advice. Teens who don't spend time doing extracurricular activities have increase risks. https://evolvetreatment.com/blog/why-teenagers-should-have-hobbies/

• 57 % more likely to drop out of high school

• 49 % more likely to use drugs during their high school years

• 37 % more likely to become teen parents during their high school years

• 35 % more likely to smoke cigarettes during their high school years

• 27 % more likely to get arrested during thier high school years.

The advice was good but also a necessity. Hobbies engage the mind providing a purpose and a creative outlet. Hobbies improve mental healthy and an overall quality of life for all ages.

Impact on The Social Connection from Hobbies

Life transitions can be difficult as we age. Sudden empty-nesters or retirement can increase feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Many aging adults feel depleted of life purpose especially if hobbies took the back burner to work. Hobbies serve as a bridge to social connections. Healthy social connections give a sense of community and can improve mood. A sense of community provides support from peers in the same life transitions, offers peer engagement for routine outings, and can increase physical activities from the support. With an improved social connection, self-confidence inceases, creativity, and perspectives are enriched.

Engaging in a friendly chess match, two friends bond over their shared hobby, highlighting how pastimes can foster strong social connections.

Cognitive Benefits Impact from Hobbies

Engaging in hobbies has many cognitive benefits. According to UCLA Health Organization, people age 65 and older who have hobbies that are stimulating or involve physical activity may support cognitive health affecting memory and decreasing the risk of dementia. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/3-proven-health-benefits-having-hobby

Improved cognitive functions helps with memory, attention, and processing speed as well as mental focus. Aging can affect your ability to focus; thus you are more distracted. The brain's executive center, the decision-making center, can become less efficient making it harder to prioritize tasks. Hobbies like puzzle-solving, chess crafting or dancing can stimulate the brain and improve executive functioning. Age may slow down acuteness but doesn't have to stop learning and enjoying a new hobby.

Hobbies Impact on Physical Health

"Motion is lotion" Dr. Greg Ford, Director of PT and Associate Professor at Daemen College

Seniors engaging in a lively group exercise class, embracing the joy of physical activity at any age.

Physical activities provides many benefits to the body. Moving your body benefits the joints as lotions benefits the skin. Lotion moisturizes the skin. Activities lubricates the joints maintaining the joings health and flexibility. The more your body moves, the more your joints increase in natural lubricants to stay active. The right routine for your body may be different than that of another. However, movement matters for all especially as the body ages.

Physical hobbies can help to regulate sleep patterns improving the quality of sleep. Hobbies like yoga or gardening can improve flexibility and balance. Weight management and increased muscle strength and bone density are also the benefits of physical hobbies. Hobbies that engage the body create a mental oasis of stress relief. This mental oasis supports the biological processes of your immune and central nervous systems. Heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancers are lowered in those who use hobbies to reduce stress.

Hobbies are beneficial for all age groups. Incorporating one or two hobbies in your daily routine will give you the mental balance needed to support your cognitive and physical well-being. A community centered around hobbies will create improved moods and social connections. You are never too young or too old to start a new hobby.