Whether you’re at school, college or university, there will always be time in your busy schedule of studying for hobbies. Hobbies are a way of filling up your time with something that you are interested in, and the best thing about them is that you can choose what you want to do. From football, to dance, collecting coins and gardening- hobbies are a chance for you to express yourself and relax.
A study carried out by University College London and The Lancet, concluded that having a hobby can add years to a person’s life. The survey involved tracking the lives of nine thousand people in the UK with an average age of sixty five for eight years. Those with direction or purpose were 30% less likely to die and generally lived at least two years longer than those with lower levels of interest.
The Meaning of Life
Having a hobby gives your life meaning and purpose. Think about how different your life would be without your weekly jogs, the books you read, or the sports you play. Hobbies ensure that you have something to look forward to and get excited by. That means you don’t have to wait until that family holiday to Portugal or your annual lads trip away, you can get a feel-good feeling everyday through your hobby.
Everybody loves Endorphins
Studying can be stressful, and stress can be deadly. With so many demands in this world, we can become overwhelmed and put our bodies under serious stress. A hobby can be a means of reducing your stress levels. Playing sports releases mood-boosting hormones inside the brain called endorphins that move through your system and generate a positive feeling. This rush is nicknamed the ‘runner’s high’, and is felt among participants of many sports including tennis, hiking and basketball.
Get with the Flow
Hobbies are also a great diversion from your day to day activities, especially the compulsory ones. Reading a book, painting or even playing a computer game draws your concentration towards that activity and away from the pile of responsibilities waiting for you. Diversions like these are sometimes referred to as a flow experience. A flow experience is one of those moments when you are so immersed in an activity that you forget about everything else, even your hunger!
We’re sure you already have a few hobbies of you own, but if you’re thinking of trying something new and different, here’s some inspiration courtesy of Gifts.co.uk, featuring some unconventional hobbies from around the world.
(Link to full image: http://designtaxi.com/news/384146/Infographic-The-15-Most-Bizarre-Hobbies-From-Around-The-World/)