Everyone has little hobbies that they’ve picked up along this unpredictable path that we refer to as “life”. My big three have always been baking, writing, and gym-ing. These are the things that I resort to when I want an escape from reality, need to find peace in my busy day, or simply just crave a boost of serotonin (especially if my daily coffee wasn’t enough). But as life goes on, it’s easy to loosen your grip on these activities that once brought you so much joy. Suddenly, it becomes a chore rather than leisure. When I realized this, it brought about a wave of sadness, and not the type of sadness that’s like “Awe, that’s unfortunate,” but almost like a part of me was missing.
In today’s ultra-capitalist society, I find myself constantly on the clock and plotting on how to climb to the top in any possible way. In doing so, it’s almost inevitable to lose sight of the things you truly love in the present. The writer becomes the editor, which is an honor, but it also comes with the cost of not having the opportunity to do what you actually wanted to do in the first place. Your sanctuary suddenly evolves into work, and work is almost always dreaded.
In the social media spiral that most of us are so far deep into, going to the gym has become less of a designated time to benefit ourselves and more of a competition to be better than the person on the other side of the screen. We’re blinded by what we perceive as “motivation,” but it’s really just a widespread desire to be like someone that we most likely don’t even know. The gym girl no longer goes to clear her mind but to close the rings on her Apple Watch (especially since it’s always yelling at her to “take a minute to stand”).
The one thing that I never lost sight of is baking. My favorite form of baking is “procrastibaking” (clever, right?), which is when I put all of my stresses aside for two hours and simply bake my heart away. Not only is it a great distraction, but it’s my love language. What other form of labor can be distributed into tiny little confections and shared with those around me? Anyway, I think the main reason why baking didn’t lose its special sentiment was because I didn’t give this piece of my peace to the greater masses, and instead, I kept it in my circle. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely source inspiration from social media and occasionally post “Baking with Hannah” TikToks. However, social media in this case isn’t for validation. Rather, it’s to be a part of a larger community and share something that brings me so much joy with others.
So once you recognize that you’re slowly losing the time or appreciation for your hobbies, it’s crucial to jump back in and reground yourself. I know it’s easier said than done, but making the time to do the things you love makes such a huge difference in all aspects of your life. Remind yourself how much you missed doing the thing you love, and you’ll naturally fall back in love with it. Just as I’m doing now (which is writing from my heart while listening to my brain fog playlist), I’ve made the time to write not because I felt some external need to, but because it fulfills my soul in a way that brings me more abundance than falling into the endless loop of life.