With the world turning upside down as of recent, it seems hard to bring yourself out of a constant state of drudgery. My personal quarantine experience, I’m sure, has mirrored that of many others: more than a handful of Zoom calls and over the phone interaction, an existential crisis or two, and a whole lot of free time. It became very easy for me to fall into the trap of wasting the day away binge watching TV or sleeping. What pulled me out of this cycle, however, was very simply finding a new hobby: playing the ukulele.
Now you may be asking yourself, “has this girl never had a hobby?” And I think the answer I would give is a bit more complicated than you would think. Both in high school and college, I have participated in numerous extracurriculars. For example, I’ve played violin since the 5th grade and basketball and water polo since the 9th. Now, music and sports typically fall under the category of hobby. However, I would not say that I found these activities as hobbies at the time. As a person, it’s easy to define yourself by the groups you are a part of. I wasn’t just playing water polo casually, I was a water polo player on my school team. By attaching these extracurriculars to a larger group or picture, it felt as though these activities weren’t hobbies but rather obligations that defined me. Having been stripped away from the institutions that facilitated these activities, I have been forced to reconcile that I don’t have hobbies. I don’t do anything that gives me an innate pleasure in my free time or allows me to express myself free of obligation.
Quarantine helped me realize that I have been depriving myself of the simple pleasure of having a hobby. Therefore, I began searching for ideas that were both easy to start and not ridiculously expensive (a girl can’t afford a super boujee activity). In the middle of this process, I had gone to visit my brother. Sitting in the corner of his room was a small ukulele case accumulating dust. It piqued my interest so naturally I pulled it out and started randomly strumming. It seems silly to say that it was therapeutic, but it was. Perhaps it reminded me of my violin playing days or maybe it was the fact that I could see my brother wincing from the cacophony of sound. Either way, I asked him if I could take it home. He reluctantly agreed with the condition that every time he visits, I must know a new song. This request coupled with my newfound desire to get good at a hobby sparked a positive, albeit small, change to my daily routine.
I’ve been playing the ukulele consistently for a couple of months now. It has become my go to activity to calm myself down or pick myself up. Although I am by no means a professional musician, the way I’ve progressed has made me proud of myself. Furthermore, I have become confident enough to share the joy with my friends who receive a snapchat video of me playing sometimes. All of this to say, finding a hobby that is your own and does not feel like an obligation to a group you are a part of is so worthwhile. While a hobby will not completely eliminate the stresses in your life, you may find that it can establish a sense of self-confidence and happiness that stems from within.