BY ANGELA HAUPT
KATE HANSELMAN’S HOME IS like a shrine to hobbies past and present. There’s fencing gear from previous lessons, and two pairs of shoes she used during her love affair with rock climbing. “I find yarn everywhere because I love knitting, and I have a whole set of embroidery stuff,” she says. Plus: stacks of puzzles, her partner’s golf clubs, and equipment from his flying lessons. “Our house is like a full hobby station,” she says with a laugh.
Challenging, fun, and engaging hobbies have the power to make us happier and healthier, says Hanselman, a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner with the counseling practice Thriveworks. Such pursuits help us grow in creative, physical, or intellectual ways, and can boost self-esteem. Plus, they often foster connection with others. Research suggests that hobbies lead to better physical health, more sleep, lower stress, greater life satisfaction, a larger social network, and improved work performance.
“Hobbies live in the pleasure world, not necessarily the mastery world,” says Hanselman. “We’re not trying to impress the board, we’re not going for a paycheck, there’s no ulterior motive. Hobbies are like dessert—and as a baker myself, dessert is the most important part.”
But where do you start? We asked experts to share strategies for discovering the hobbies you don’t yet know you’ll love.
1. Ask yourself how you want to feel
Hobbies present an escape—they can help us get out of our head and calm down, says Matthew J. Zawadzki, an associate professor of health psychology at the University of California, Merced. He suggests asking yourself how you want an activity to make you feel: Mentally engaged? Distracted? Relaxed? Socially connected? It can also be helpful to consider what your life is missing, like creativity or physical activity, and allow that to guide your choices. “Recognize that you have different needs at different moments, and that’s OK,” he says. There’s no such thing as one perfect hobby.
2. Start small
Don’t invest a ton of time and money in a new hobby immediately. Ease in to figure out if it’s right for you, advises Rebecca Weiler, a mental-health counselor who specializes in career counseling: “You can always do more later.” If you’re wondering if paintball might be a good fit, join an outing or two with a local Meetup group. Or sign up for
