3 Reasons to Take Time Off for Hobbies
Work is an essential part of life but can negatively impact your life when it becomes the only thing you feel like you are doing. The increased stress, disconnection from family and friends, overwhelming feelings and more can all increase unhappiness. You earn vacation days to take them, so do not feel guilty about taking them. Instead, make the most of them by doing something you enjoy.
- Time with Loved Ones
Social interaction is a key part of life. Connecting with our family and friends can help decrease feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety. If you often find yourself making excuses for why you do not have the time to step away from your work life to get together with your loved ones, then this is one item you could benefit from. Cultivating and strengthening our relationships helps keep the bond solid.
Open up your schedule to enjoy some time with your family and friends. One way to practice this is to step away from work completely on the weekends by unplugging from your phone, tablet or laptop. Work can wait. Instead, spend the time creating memories with your kids, family or friends. If you have vacation days, there is no better way to use them than for a trip or staycation with the people you love. If distance separates you, technology with robust 5G core can help keep you feeling close through video calls and more.
- Try Something New
If you are not sure what hobbies you enjoy, try a bunch! There is no limit to how many hobbies you can participate in. Plus, it is hard to know what you like if you have not tried it before. Broaden your horizons and test out multiple different hobbies. A great excuse to take a day off from work is to go to an instructional workshop to learn that skill you have always wanted to learn.
Learning something new helps keep your brain sharp and can improve other aspects of your health depending on the skill. If you have wanted to learn a new language, what are you waiting for? Once you learn the language, you could even spend a day immersing yourself in the culture or even try to plan a trip to that specific country for a vacation. Maybe you have always wanted to learn coding or woodworking or how to make homemade noodles. Try it! Some of these skills can even be transferable to the workplace, but the idea is to remember that it is okay to step away from work to unwind, destress and spend some time doing something for yourself.
- Sports
If your hobbies include sports and outdoor activities, you can participate in something you enjoy while working on improving your overall health. Daily exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle, weight management and overall health. You do not have to be good at a sport to enjoy it. Consider joining an adult recreational league for fun with some friends. Exercise can be a great way to release stress from the workday.
If you would prefer to watch sports, rather than participate, that is perfectly fine, too. Games are enjoyable to watch on television and attend in person. You could opt to take a half-day off work to catch the opening day game with some buddies. Stepping away from work to spend time doing things you enjoy can alleviate stress and so much more.
Life is too short to spend every minute thinking about work. Work is necessary to be able to provide for yourself and your family, but it should not be all-consuming. It is okay to take time off to do what you enjoy. Do not let vacation days waste just because you feel like you cannot miss work. You will be glad you chose to take a day for yourself!
