In a world full of technology and social media, it is important to find hobbies that get you away from your device-and more towards happiness. There is mounting evidence supporting the fact that scrolling on social media can directly contribute to depression. Research continually finds correlations between high social media use and negative effects on mental health, including depression and anxiety.
Finding hobbies is the perfect way to convince you to get off your device and do something that will make you happy. A few hobbies of my own include journaling, reading, watching movies, pilates, writing, baking, and going on long walks. Each and every one of these hobbies lead me away from stress and the comparison of others that scrolling on social media leads me to, and toward peacefulness and tranquility.
Reading and watching movies transports me into a different world for the time being and really helps me get away from overthinking and the stress that comes with being a college student. Journaling is like an outlet and gives me the opportunity to get all my thoughts out at once. It is also nice to look back on fun memories that I wrote about a while ago. A journal is also something that I can keep forever to remind me of the highs of my college experience. Exercise is proven to reduce stress and depression, so I make going on walks and doing pilates a priority, in order to stay healthy physically and mentally. Every hobby I have gives me purpose and leaves me feeling accomplished.
I am always looking for a new hobby to take on, especially as a college student looking for moments to get away from the inevitable day-to-day stress. I never want to look back on my life and think about how many hours I spent scrolling on social media. I want to feel like there is purpose to every day of my life and I do not feel this way if I spend more than 20 minutes on social media a day. This is why I chose not to scroll my life away, and choose to spend my downtime on hobbies that improve my mental health and physical wellbeing.
