Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about hobbies. Mainly because, about two years ago, I made a decision to pick back up the hobbies I had let go of when I went to college. Life got busy, and somewhere in the shuffle, those pieces of me slipped away.
What I didn’t realize at the time was just how much losing my hobbies made me feel like I had lost a part of myself, if not my whole self. Hobbies aren’t just little side activities. They’re anchors. They remind us of who we are outside of school, work, and responsibility.
Slowly, I’ve been reclaiming that space. By reintroducing my old hobbies and even exploring new ones, I feel like I’m giving myself permission to breathe again.
So in this post, I want to share:
- The hobby formula that guided me
- The hobbies I’ve restarted
- How to restart your own hobbies
- Ideas for hobbies to try, organized by category
Because here’s the thing: hobbies are supposed to give you life, not drain it. Jumping into ten all at once is a recipe for burnout, not balance. But finding one or two that ground you is where the magic is.
The Hobby Formula
I like to think of hobbies as part of a formula. Why? Because when you have a formula, it’s easier to build a hobby system that works for you instead of randomly adding things to your life and hoping they stick.
The main purpose of the formula is to make sure your hobbies touch different parts of your life, your body, your mind, and your sense of joy. Some hobbies will simply be for fun, but others can push you in areas where you want, or need, growth.
Here’s the basic structure I use:
One Hobby for Fun
Something lighthearted that just makes you happy.
This is sometimes a hobby that I don’t use my brain much while doing it. I don’t analyze things or strategize. There will be more examples below, but here are some to get you thinking. 😊
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Coloring
- Watching TV
- One Hobby for your Physical health
One Hobby for your Physical Health
Something that moves your body and keeps you active.
What you will notice is that some hobbies might overlap with other areas, or maybe you don’t think they belong where I put them. The beauty of this formula is that it is unique to you, so if swimming or hiking would be a physical health activity for you and not one for fun, that’s alright. Also, disclaimer: just because there is a category for fun doesn’t mean all the other hobby categories aren’t; it just means that it’s not the category’s main focus.
- Weight lifting
- Cycling
- Tennis
- Pickleball
- Kayaking
A Hobby for your mental health
Something grounding, reflective, or restorative.
One of my favorite category, because I feel like my mental health is a priority of mine. I focus on it because I use my brain a lot and sometimes I burn out.
- Journaling
- Sunset Beach Meditation
- Yoga
- Breathing Exercises
- Walking
A hobby to engage your mind
Something that challenges you to think, learn, or create.
Outside of work and life things you have to do, having your brain challenges in a creative way that doesn’t have a deadline is so exciting, at least for me .
- Puzzles
- Miniatures building
- Legos
- Airplane flying / Drone Flying
- Photography / cinematography
When I first started getting back into my hobbies, I didn’t jump in with a dozen at once. I gave myself space. I started with one hobby at a time so I could see what fit into my new rhythm of life and what didn’t.
For me, the first step was exercise. At the time, I had already been going to the gym regularly, so I decided to treat that as my hobby. It wasn’t just about showing up and lifting weights. It became about structuring my workouts, paying attention to which parts of my body I wanted to strengthen, and making sure I wasn’t wandering around lost in the gym.
Now, exercise is a huge umbrella. Under it, you can have yoga, Pilates, weight training, running, calisthenics, the list goes on. I started simple, but over time, I fine-tuned my approach. These days, I have a gym routine that includes weight training, a dedicated yoga day, and I’ve even started exploring calisthenics. That one hobby grew roots and branched into new directions.
It also started to influence other areas of my life. Exercise pushed me to start calorie counting, to pay attention to how food made me feel, and to think more deeply about what I wanted my body to look and feel like.
That’s the power of hobbies. They’re never just hobbies. They have a way of shaping you from the inside out.
The Hobbies I Restarted
Now let’s talk about the hobbies I’ve restarted. I don’t want to go into the why of why I stopped them because honestly, the reason is the same across the board. I started college, life got busy, and I drifted away. Somewhere along the way, I forgot just how much these things were a part of me.
I’ve already mentioned working out as one of my hobbies, but I also count meditation, massages, and self-care activities as their own category. Anything that helps my body release tension and allows my mind to relax feels like a hobby in itself.
Another big one is journaling. I bullet journal, I sketch, and lately, I’ve even been leaning into drawing again, a hobby I had back in high school that I completely forgot I loved.
Then there’s my brand. I treat it entirely like a hobby because I genuinely enjoy it. Playing with ideas for my website, experimenting with structure, designing visuals, video editing, and even creating short creative films, all of that feels like a playground for my imagination.
And here’s the interesting thing. Hobbies don’t have to stay “just hobbies.” A lot of people start with video editing, photography, or writing as hobbies and end up getting paid for them. That’s the beauty of it. You never know which hobby will stay purely for fun and which one might grow into something bigger.
How to Find or Restart Your Own Hobbies
If you don’t want to follow my exact path, that’s totally fine. Your hobbies don’t have to be journaling, video editing, or working out. The key is to look back at what genuinely made you happy in the past.
Think about high school or earlier. What were the activities that brought you joy? Maybe it was fishing, wandering around town, sightseeing, exploring nature trails, or simply walking and noticing your surroundings.
Try revisiting those activities for just 10 to 15 minutes a day and see if they still spark joy or curiosity. This is a simple way to restart hobbies that may have fallen away for any reason without forcing yourself into something that doesn’t feel natural.
Hobby Ideas to Try or Restart
Here’s a list of hobbies organized by the categories in my formula. Think of it as a menu. You can pick and choose what feels right for you. You don’t have to do everything, and you definitely don’t have to start all at once.
Fun Hobbies (for pure joy)
- Painting, sketching, or drawing
- Reading fiction or poetry
- Cooking or baking new recipes
- Playing a musical instrument
- Watching movies or short films with a creative twist
- Exploring your city or town, cafes, parks, or hidden spots
- Gardening or caring for plants
- DIY crafts or making things with your hands
Physical Health Hobbies (move your body, feel alive)
- Gym workouts, strength training, cardio, or circuit classes
- Yoga, Pilates, or barre
- Dancing, Zumba, or TikTok dance challenges
- Hiking, walking, or jogging in nature
- Martial arts, boxing, or self-defense classes
- Swimming or water-based activities
- Sports leagues such as tennis, soccer, or basketball
Mental Health Hobbies (ground, reflect, relax)
- Journaling or bullet journaling
- Meditation or mindfulness practices
- Massage, spa days, or self-care routines
- Listening to calming music or soundscapes
- Puzzles, brain teasers, or strategy games
- Coloring books for adults
- Writing letters or notes to friends or yourself
Mind-Engaging Hobbies (challenge your brain, learn, create)
- Learning a new language or skill
- Video editing, filmmaking, or photography
- Coding, web design, or building your brand/website
- Writing short stories, essays, or poems
- Graphic design or digital illustration
- Learning an instrument or music production
- Participating in online courses, workshops, or tutorials
The key is to mix and match. You don’t need to do all four categories every day, but having a balance can help your life feel fuller, more creative, and more intentional. Even small steps, a 10-minute walk, a 15-minute sketch, or a short journaling session, can make a difference.
Hobbies aren’t just ways to pass the time. They’re ways to reconnect with yourself, explore your curiosity, and inject joy and growth into your life.
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