Hobbies: I love them, yet I despised having to do them... except when it's in regards of doodling. How many of you think of doodling as a hobby? Probably not many of you do think of doodling as a hobby, but, man does it get those creative juices running.
How many hobbies do you have? How many times a week do you practice them? Those are the questions that I keep asking myself. How many hobbies are in my hobbies list, probably about ten. They're in a basket, you see, just like the colored pencils I used to color my world of doodles.
I have hobbies, yet how many times a day can I utilize them? Ten, one, three, or zero times a day, depending on my mood, really. The essence of having a hobby is allowing it to come to life and be a part of your daily life.
So why the big deal? Not only is a hobby a hobby, it's a coping mechanism.
According to mental health wellness week, "Coping skills are methods a person uses to deal with stressful situations. Obtaining and maintaining good coping skills does take practice. However utilizing these skills becomes easier over time. Most importantly, good coping skills make for good mental health wellness."
So how often do you, dear friend of mine, practice your hobbies/coping mechanisms?
How often, do you, dear friend think of picking up an instrument? For me, this is the one hobby that is mental, creative, and time-consuming. Playing an instrument, such as the clarinet or the drums help to release frustrations and rage, while it digs into my soul like an iron spade, and it reminds me that not only are sounds extravagant, they're also soothing to my mental mind and healing soul.
So I found my best outlet; rather than singing along to the music of the ever-looping radio station, I picked up the clarinet.
I play the clarinet, yet I didn't always. First in middle school, stopped for a few years, and now I'm at it again in college. But how did this journey begin, you might ask? It began with the yearning to rekindle the fire of a childhood passion. Because who would think, other than I, to return to one of my old-dear musing challenges — a terror of failure yet one to strive to be musically again. So now, in college, I have rekindled the fire, the fire of music, to dwindle upon my fingers, every few times a week, the magical instrumental clarinet.
The best hobbies, are those that leave you with a smile on your face, the ones that take up time and make you feel like you are flying on a cloud. The hobbies that light up your heart and remind you that you are alive. And not just a 24/7 hour working matching, because as a college student, it can very much feel this way. That you don't even have time to listen to your favorite tunes or dance that little music routine you learned when you were 12 years old and on YouTube, mimicking Shakira's hips or Eminem and his gesturing hands. So remember, hobbies are important, whether you're busy with life or hanging around in a hammock all day long.
