Hello lovely personas <3 I really just want to word dump on what I've currently been doing in terms of diving back into hobbies after a period of just trying to keep up with my own mental health/responsibilities where I didn't really have the energy for hobbies.
I wanted to expand on this and talk more about how fun it can be to rekindle a love for old hobbies. Running is something I didn't always love, but senior year of high school/freshman year of college my love for it grew and rooted itself so deeply. Running became a way to explore, to connect with different people, and to spend some time alone with my own thoughts. However, last year was a different story, running felt like the biggest chore. I knew I wanted to run, and I knew deep down I loved running, but every time I went out to jog, I couldn't make it farther than 2 miles.
My issue was not that I had fallen out of love with the sport, but rather I was holding on (way too strongly) to my previous abilities. I couldn't let go that I had changed and thus my abilities had changed. I allowed myself to get frustrated with going back to the basics, to the slow running, and it made me become frustrated with running as a whole. Someone actually brought the phrase up of 'having a death grip' on what you used to be able to do instead of being able to relax, which just made me chuckle because it's exactly what I was doing. Being able to sit down and acknowledge that I was in a different position than where I was helped me be able to recognize why I actually run. (Or why you do any hobby you love). I enjoy it because I do it for myself, and I like the way it makes me feel and the things it allows me to do, so, therefore, I shouldn't care about what my stats are on Strava, or how fast I can run 'x' miles. The joy that I've felt after diving back in makes everything all worthwhile, so I encourage anyone reading this to tap into a hobby that they used to love, or find a new one that will serve you better for your given position. This is also to say, that sometimes the love for a hobby CAN'T be rekindled, sometimes it just doesn't give you the same amount of joy, and that's okay too. There are so many fun and unique ways that we can learn and grow as individuals that it's important to not allow one hobby to become your identity. <3
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