Are your hobbies turning you into a grandma?
In the past few years, there has been a noticeable boom in “cozy hobbies”. It seems like everyone is picking up reading, knitting, gardening, or baking. The exact hobbies I once thought were boring when my parents did them are now my go-to activities on a Saturday night. To put it plainly, it seems the tables have turned.
But what has driven the rise of these cozy hobbies? I believe it’s their benefits of stress-relief. As a society, we’ve continued to perpetuate hustle culture– the idea of working long hours and pushing ourselves to accomplish all our goals at the expense of self-care. However, this lifestyle can be unfulfilling, often leading you to overwork yourself to the point of burnout. A simple yet effective solution is adopting “cozy hobbies” to relieve the stress associated with our work lives and rejuvenate our spirits.
Beyond stress relief, it is also believed that the creative aspects of these hobbies can promote better concentration and focus, allowing you to turn all your energy towards the task at hand. As a result, you spend less time worrying and can take a much-needed break from everything else that is going on in your life at that time.
So, how do you develop these hobbies? As a chronic hobby enthusiast, the best way to introduce something new into your routine is to start small. For instance, if you’re interested in baking, try making a no-bake dessert first. One of my favourites is this date bark! It’s incredibly easy and honestly hard to mess up. Once you’re comfortable, move upwards into something slightly more difficult. I think brownies are another fool-proof recipe that is easy to perfect. Gradually expose yourself to new recipes and soon you’ll become a better baker with each new technique and recipe you learn. I’ve been baking since I was 9 years old and now, I don’t even need recipes!
As you develop these new hobbies, don’t be afraid of being imperfect. A lot of the skills that you currently have were once new to you. Similarly, you won’t become the best baker, painter, or knitter overnight. When you embrace imperfection and give yourself the time and space to grow, learning a new hobby becomes genuinely enjoyable, and not something that you are trying to force yourself to perfect.
So, next time you’re feeling stressed, try something new. It might not be your best work, but more importantly, it’ll be comforting and cozy– isn’t that all that matters?