This semester, I have found myself with plenty of time on my hands. With no classes on Fridays and a system of working on my assignments that sees me completing them by the weekend, I have gained 3 days to myself each week. The problem I have found with this is that I don’t know what to do with myself, causing me to have a small existential crisis.
When they have free time, most people dedicate themselves to a hobby, passion, or goal they can put their all towards. I have found I have none. While I have interests, there is nothing I can say that I could wholeheartedly dedicate myself to with purpose.
This has led me to the topic of this post. With all this free time to myself and no idea what my purpose outside of school is, I have decided to use this time to find a passion, that will make me feel fulfilled.
Below I have listed some of the hobbies I have tried so far:
Hobby Crafting
I have bought a couple of craft supplies, such as paint-by-numbers and DIY book nooks, and can say I enjoy them. I have spent several hours working on these projects and I love the sense of accomplishment I gain from completing them.
Some downsides I have found are:
- They eventually end, so I would have to buy new ones, and it is a generally expensive hobby. Having to buy a $20-$40 kit every time I want to do this hobby adds up quickly.
Some ideas I have found for fighting this problem are:
- To find hobbies where you can bulk buy and which can continue to expand. This includes possibly trying my hand at things like knitting, sewing, painting, or clay sculpting (starting with air-dry clay or something).
Cooking/Baking
I live in an apartment, so I regularly have to cook for myself, but I have begun to consider maybe turning it into a hobby. I have found it fun to look up and try new recipes and I especially enjoy trying the cuisines of other countries. The general cooking process is also pretty fun when I do it with friends or some fun music.
Some downsides I have found are:
- The cost of baking/cooking tools and ingredients, especially for international cuisines, can be pretty expensive.
- If you don’t like what you cook/bake it might also result in wasted food, and this can be a pretty common problem when trying new recipes.
- You can only store so much of your cooking at once since you lose space or it could spoil from not eating it quick enough.
Some ideas I have found for fighting this problem are:
- Try familiar recipes by asking your family how to cook the meals you grew up on.
- Bake familiar recipes most of the time and make 2-3 new recipes per month to reduce the possibility of wasted ingredients/the rate at which you buy expensive ingredients.
- Make it with friends or family and split the expenses and leftovers to reduce cost and waste.
Reading
I loved reading when I was young, but when I reached high school I hit a reading slump. Recently, I have been trying to pick it up again and have been trying new genres/reading some great new books.
Some downsides I have found are:
- I have found that it is sometimes hard to start a book. Once I start, it’s great and I will continue reading for hours, but I often don’t feel in the mood to read.
- I mood read, which means that I often change what book I’m reading based on which one feels right at the time, and it usually results in me reading five books at once.
- It can be expensive. Books usually cost $11-$28 per book which gets expensive quickly.
Some ideas I have found for fighting this problem are:
- Rent from the library since this creates a temporary relationship with the book, where it costs nothing to get it and you can return it if you don’t want to read it.
- Have a reading party with friends for outside pressure or set the mood through your environment.
Archery
This one is a bit different from the previous trial hobbies since it isn’t necessarily something you would call a “cozy” hobby, but it is fun. I did archery way back in 4th grade but stopped when I moved. This last week, I joined the University Archery Club as a trial member and loved my first meeting. I already signed up for it this week. I have found that it is good because it doesn’t particularly rely on pre-existing athletic ability, it is an individual sport (so you can do it with other people without feeling pressured by team-based scoring), and the team I am on has equipment you can borrow so it doesn’t cost too much.
Some downsides I have found are:
- It can be considered a bit dangerous in the sense that you are technically using a weapon and there are ways you can injure yourself (such as snapping yourself with the string which I have done).
- It can also be difficult to find a range near you (the range that I use is 30 minutes away by car).
- It can feel difficult to socialize because it is an individual sport and you are focused on shooting your bow.
Some ideas I have found for fighting this problem are:
- Follow the safety measures they have and utilize safety equipment to protect yourself (such as arm guards).
- Many archery clubs utilize carpooling, so see if you can catch a ride with anyone.
- Use any time not shooting the bow to talk to the people around you (there are periods where you pause between shooting).