Healthy Hobbies you should Try to Improve Life

Do you find yourself waking up every morning and doing the same dull and repetitious routines? Yes, routine is good but we should also make time for fun activities. In this blog, I’ll share healthy hobbies you can do or develop for a happier and less stressful life. 

Some are hesitant to do this because these leisure activities are a “waste of time.” But in reality, we need to do activities that are actually fun for us. Having hobbies make life less stressful and boring. It also increases our personal satisfaction which recharges us to face every day with energy.

On the other hand, there are also some who have hobbies that are bad for them, such as too much partying, excessive use of social media, etc. Take note of the word too much. 

We need to find balance in everything – in our work, personal time, and other aspects of our lives. 

You might want to read this: 5 Tips on How to Start Your Self Improvement Journey.

15 Healthy Hobbies You Can Try

I totally understand the hesitation with doing hobbies because we can do something productive such as work with that time instead, right? As I mentioned, a hobby is a must if we don’t want to get overwhelmed or burnt out easily. There are also hobbies that we can do for fun and are also for our wellbeing.

1. Writing 

Writing is a good way to express ourselves. It can be journaling or blogging. Or if you want to, you can do some creative writing such as fiction, poems, etc. 

Writing helps us organize our thoughts, pour out our emotions, plan our goals, remember things, and even fire up our creativity. Just keep a writing journal or even your note app with you. This way, you can write whenever something’s on your mind.

You might want to read this: What to write in your journal plus journal prompts.

2. Reading

This leisure activity can bring you to another world. This can make you feel different emotions depending on what you’re reading. Plus, these can greatly improve our cognitive skills. We can double its positive effects if we’re reading good content! 

3. Gardening

Gardening is a great way to spend our time when we want to relax and be productive at the same time. Getting our hands dirty, watering and checking our plants, and harvesting if we have fruits and vegetables can be so enjoyable and peaceful. Aside from these, we can have beautiful flowers or fresh vegetables, which can definitely improve our mood. This also teaches us responsibility because plants are not that easy to manage! 

4. Cooking

Cooking our own food has so many benefits. It is healthier for us and our wallet! When we cook, we practice being present because we have to make sure that we’re not burning or missing something. Also, what do we do after you cook? we eat!  

If you want to cook but have no time, you might want to try meal prep! 

I’m also going to include baking here. They use different techniques but they kind of have the same effects: healthier, cheaper, and they make your home smell heavenly! 

5. Hiking

This is one of my favorite hobbies. It’s healthy for both our physical and mental states. It is a great workout where you train your stamina and endurance, especially when you’re in the mountains. Also, just being surrounded by nature clears your mind and makes you appreciate what you have.

You might want to read this: How to start working out again and be consistent this time.

6. Taking online classes

For those who feel guilty of wasting their time, this hobby is for you! You’re taking a break from your usual routine but you’re learning something.

There are so many classes online that we can do to add or improve our skills, and stimulate our brains. 

7. Making crafts

Crafting can improve your creativity, critical thinking, motor skills, and more. This can also be a great hobby for those who have mental health issues because this activity can be therapeutic and can calm you. Bonus is that, after we do this, we actually have a physical product that we can collect or give to people we love! 

8. Playing musical instruments

Music can boost our happiness. With this, learning how to produce one can make us happy so much more. It can also develop our cognitive and motor skills. Another perk is that you will look cool! 

9. Learning a new language

Aside from the obvious perk of being able to communicate in different languages, learning a new language can improve your memory and communication skills. This can also help us when we travel and interact with the locals. Another benefit is that this will look good in our resume.

10. Playing games

This can be physical or virtual. This hobby can greatly improve our social skills especially when we’re playing with your friends, which can be a bonding time also. Other benefits from playing games are improving our problem-solving skills, creativity and imagination, visual-spatial skills, and many more. If it’s physical like playing sports or martial arts, then it is a great workout! 

11. Solving puzzles

Solving puzzles is a great activity to pass the time. We can easily get lost in time while doing it. It is a healthy game to train our brains to focus and solve problems. Another benefit of solving puzzles is that when we solve one, we get that sense of achievement and pride! Any puzzles will do.

12. Painting

Or anything that involves making art – sketching, dancing, sculpture, among others.

Making art is relaxing where  we can express yourself freely and just be in your own world. This hobby lets us explore our imagination and creative side. You don’t have to be amazing at it. Just enjoy it! 

13. Cleaning

I know this might not be a fun way to do in your break time, but it is for some! I mean, I’m sure I’m not the only one who cleans when I’m procrastinating or stressed. Also, when will you have other time to clean up aside from your free time? 

Cleaning our spaces can greatly improve our mood, and in turn, make us more productive! We will also be inspired to maintain the cleanliness if we’ve organized our stuff properly. 

14. Participating in challenges

There are tons of challenges online. Some are even trending so you can see one in your social media every now and then. 

This is a nice way to spend our free time especially when we really don’t know what to do. Of course, there are stupid and harmful challenges, but there are also great ones. 

Personally, I like trying new recipes or some DIY projects! We can also practice some dance challenges. What I like about this is that it is a community activity where we can also engage with other participants of the challenge. 

You might want to try this: 21-day workout challenge for beginners. 

15. Meditating

Meditation is perfect when you want to feel relaxed after a tiring day. It can significantly reduce our stress and improve our mood. It can also help us focus on what we want to do. What I like about this is that you can do this anywhere for 5 minutes and you can already feel the effects.

Do these healthy hobbies and see improvement in your life.

One for sure improvement is that you’ll feel happier, fulfilled, and recharged. This is what hobbies are for! We should really take time to enjoy life. We’re not here to just exist. Let’s live!

With the hobbies mentioned above, we can get a rest and at the same time do something healthy and productive. Of course, you can do other things that you enjoy also. 

The important thing is you take a break and do some activity you actually want to do. Just remember that anything excessive is bad.

Now, have fun while improving yourself! 

Rooting for you, 

Meredith Blaise ♡

PS, if you have other healthy hobbies, share it in the comment section!