I know what you are going to say after reading the title; how can writing be a hobby? Well, my friend, it actually is. Continue reading and learn about the benefits of having writing as your hobby. I know most of you think of a hobby as something you do to relax, and for most people, that would be playing games. But, speaking from experience, playing games is not relaxing for everyone, especially if you get frustrated easily like me.
Call me boring, but my two hobbies are reading and writing; yeah, I know I am an old soul at heart. But, profound every wonder why so many people read for fun, well because it immerses you ion a new world and acts as a form of escapism and writing can have the same grasp on certain individuals. You don’t have to write about a fictional work; you can journal your day-to-day life or note whatever comes to your mind, the field is open to you, and you are free to write whatever you want as long as it is a way of relaxing for you.
Benefits of having writing as a hobby.
1. Express yourself
At times you feel that you are so overwhelmed that you can’t express yourself. This is where writing comes into place; it is your own private world that no one has access to and where you can be your true authentic self and express yourself without censor. You can have a physical diary you write or a virtual diary that you can fill in anywhere you are, and it will always be with you.
It is also a non-toxic way to vent about your feelings that might not be something that you would want to tell others. Having a bad day and want to curse someone out but can’t do it because they are your superior? Then vent your frustration to your diary, and this will be a way for you to expulse these negative feelings and avoid any future resentments or any spur-of-the-moment comment.
2. It boosts your memory
Writing is a way to take in information quickly, and this is why teachers are so against phones in class; you retain more when you write down something, and this is why you are advised to copy your notes as it is a subliminal way for you to remember them. It also makes your brain work as you have to remember your day to compile it in your diary. Keep in mind that this is only when you write pen on paper, and it doesn’t have the same effect when you write on your phone or laptop.
3. Relaxation
For some people, writing can be stressful because they unconsciously relate it to school, which was a nightmare for most of us unless you were the school jock or really popular. But, I have always considered writing as my safe space and a way to express myself. It will shock no one when I say I was the English teacher’s favorite, and the feeling was mutual. But for me, it acts as a therapy session, I am not telling you to replace your therapist with a journal, but many therapists will recommend their patients to keep a journal as it is a way for us to talk about our feeling and what is troubling us.
Activities to try while writing.
1. Write a letter to yourself or a loved one
We constantly learn from our past, and learning never stops. Write a letter to your younger self and tell them how it all gets better in the end that there will be some days where you want to give up and end it all, but there will be days after better than that. Trust me, it may sound cliché, but it does get better, take it from someone who experienced has had some low lows in their life.
If you don’t want to write a letter to yourself, then write one to a loved one and tell them how you feel, all your positive and negative feelings, it is your way to express yourself without any censor. If you want to read a book where the narrator is writing a letter to his mother that she will never be able to read because she doesn’t understand English, I suggest you pick up Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. It is a heart-wrenching read and deals with queerness and the life of migrants in Asian America.
2. Write one line a day
Writing every day doesn’t have to be a page worth; it can be just a short sentence. All that matters is that you took the time and effort to write than singular sentence. Ask any writer, and they’ll tell you that the first sentence is always the hardest to write and that it’s all smooth sailing.
Sound off in the comments section below and tell us if you want to pick up writing as your next hobby.
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