Hobbies are priorities

Time is money, spend it on what you enjoy 

JACKIE MARQUEZ / OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Last semester I was enrolled in 17 units, working a part time job, writing for The Vista and participating in various extracurriculars. At that same time, I was trying to juggle my social life, finances and physical health. I had bit off more than I could chew, and eventually felt so overwhelmed that I started seeing a therapist through the Wellness Center. During my time in therapy, my therapist gave me a lot of advice for how to manage stress and anxiety. One of the best tips she gave me was to intentionally set time aside for my hobbies. 

Prioritizing your hobbies over other responsibilities for a set time every day is imperative. Doing so benefits your mental health by lessening the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. On top of that, it helps you develop important skills outside of school and work. 

I made time for my hobbies by including 30 minutes to an hour every day of free time into my schedule. It’s easy to overlook your free time, but I found that intentionally rearranging my schedule so that I had a period of time blocked out was really helpful. During this time I did basically anything I enjoyed that wasn’t related to school or work. Some of the activities were baking, journaling, playing video games and crocheting. The great thing about a hobby is that it can be literally anything you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be productive or creative, unless you want it to be. I found that after consistently spending time on these activities, I was less stressed and felt more positive. 

The first reason you should make time for your hobbies is that taking time for leisure activities that you enjoy helps prevent burnout. According to WebMD, burnout is a feeling of exhaustion that happens when you experience “excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress.” Spending time on a hobby helps relieve these different types of stress by temporarily altering your brain chemistry. 

In an article by The Conversation titled “The science behind why hobbies can improve our mental health,” it was reported that taking part in activities you enjoy causes your brain to release a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that allows your brain to experience pleasure. It uplifts your mood, causing you to experience more positive emotions. 

Another study, conducted by Kaimal et. al, explains that participating in an artistic hobby such as drawing or sculpting is correlated with lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone in your body that is associated with stress; when your stress levels are high, so are your cortisol levels. By lowering your cortisol levels, participating in a hobby can help you de-stress and relax by uplifting your mood. This ultimately prevents burnout.

Hobbies have additional benefits beyond improving your mental health; they also help you develop important skills like creativity and collaboration. In a Utah State research article, it was found that participating in  group hobbies improves social connection. Group hobbies are activities you do with others, for example participating in a team sport or playing multiplayer video games.  Participants in these activities communicate with others, work together and form friendships. This ultimately develops interpersonal skills. 

Non-collaborative hobbies can also lead to the development of beneficial skills. Artistic hobbies like painting, drawing, playing an instrument or  writing boost your creativity. They also help you strengthen your critical thinking   ability. 

Both collaborative and individual hobbies build skills that are relevant in the real world.  Being able to connect with others, work as part of a team, think outside the box and problem solve are all skills that benefit  various aspects of your life. These   skills make you  a better friend, student and employee. 

Making time for your hobbies is beneficial, but it goes against societal norms. Our culture prioritizes hard work and efficiency. When it comes to work-life balance, the scale tips toward work. Zippia reported that the majority of workers find it necessary to check their phone or email outside of working hours. On top of this, 66% of workers reported that they often skipped at least one meal a day because of work. 

As a college student with limited free time, it’s easy to push off your leisure activities to meet a deadline. With our focus on productivity and efficiency, it is almost expected that you give up bits and pieces of your personal life to achieve success. Even though this is the norm, it isn’t healthy. If you constantly push your hobbies aside to focus on school or work, you are essentially putting those responsibilities ahead of your mental health and — ironically — your efficiency as well. Ultimately, setting time aside for hobbies ensures that they are not left behind in an attempt to maximize your personal productivity.

Dedicating time to something you enjoy every day helps regulate your emotions, prevent burnout, lower stress and improve important life skills. I encourage you to take a look at your own schedule, and see if you can move some parts of your day around so that you can fit some leisure time into your schedule. After all, prioritizing your hobbies is a way of prioritizing yourself.