People talk a lot of about "how hard they work" and all the things we feel like we must get done, every day. I know... I'm guilty of going down that road, myself!

The thing about being so busy and working so much is that it really is best for our mental health that we take a break now and then.

A lot of people, however, are not comfortable with "just sitting" and reading a book, or mindlessly watching TV to break state... which is why I find it so rewarding to have an assortment of hobbies to pursue when I need to get away from work and technology "making demands" on me!

For example — it's hard to miss, I suppose — I have been interested in nature photography (and especially macro) since I was a teenager... so it's one of my "breakaway activities," and the really cool thing about it is that I get to use my photos to illustrate my blog posts!

I know there's "conventional wisdom" out there saying that we should illustrate our writing with something relevant to the topic... but — aside from graphs and such — most illustrations are basically a tool to break up large "text walls" so they become easier to read.

Photography remains strictly a hobby for me, as I never had aspirations to become a professional photographer.

Although it may seem rather old-fashioned to many, another favorite hobby of mine is stamp collecting.

Again, this is something that has interested me ever since my dad got me started when I was no more than maybe 6 or 7 years old. He would bring home colorful stamps from the inbound mail to his office — which came from pretty much all corners of the world — and I had a lot of fun with it, while learning about the history and culture of places far far from Denmark.

The fact that I actually managed to turn this hobby into one of my many "part time jobs" only adds to the fun and enjoyment of it!

Then of course, there's gardening which is definitely one of my favorite pastimes. We have a fairly extensive vegetable garden, and I find it extremely cathartic to get out there and "get my hands in the dirt."

Aside from which, the whole idea of growing our own food is very appealing in these uncertain times.

I'm loath to suggest that people are less likely to have hobbies in this day and age... the reality I see is more one of people's hobbies being "on the computer" (or phone) after having spend their entire workday on the computer.

It's not really much of a break of state, is it?

I don't say this as a way to speak out against technology, merely as an observation that it is easy to get trapped inside a very narrow paradigm.

I suppose "technological hobbies" are not surprising, given that tech companies have entire teams dedicated to nothing more than studying how their apps help keep people "enmeshed" and unlikely to step away.

But we do need to step away, sometimes...

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

How about you? Do you have any interesting hobbies? And do they require you to step AWAY from the technology? Do you find that your hobbies help you stay more balanced and energetic? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.01.05 23:11 PST
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