Why Has Our Generation Lost Interest In Hobbies? It's Time To Change That

When was the last time you did something for fun? Without worrying about a lack of time or loss of money?

Don't be surprised if you can't pinpoint the one day you did an activity with just one intent: To derive joy and pleasure out of it. And that's because we as an entire generation have lost out on hobbies and it's high time we rediscover them in 2020.

Hobbies are not about making money but unwinding.

There's a slow but consistent decline when it comes to people doing things that they once enjoyed. The one reason for this could be how our generation has started using the simplest and most pleasurable activities as a means to make money. Someone who loved photography is now a professional photographer looking to cover gigs for money. Or how someone who liked baking now runs a kitchen looking for orders.

It's not bad to earn money by doing what you love. But everything doesn't need to be a side hustle or money-making enterprise. Because once money enters the picture the chance of having fun goes out the window because there's no room for a single mistake. How can that be relaxing and peaceful then?

Stop striving for perfection; hobbies are for fun.

And there's a deeper reason for why we don't pursue a hobby anymore. It's because we are afraid of being bad at them. The times we live in, we are truly appreciated when we are perfectly skilled at something. If we aren't, it's considered a solid waste of time.

If you love swimming, it's no longer okay to be in the pool, taking a few laps, you better be training for a competition. If you're a painter, you can't just be spending the afternoon painting, nope. You are working towards landing a spot at the next best art gallery. And these expectations from onlookers come when your hobby is linked with your identity. Because if you aren't good at what you do, who are you?

Hobbies need to be delinked from what you do.

Let your hobby be a getaway from the monotony of work or the stress of earning money.

If you want to do good, take up volunteering for a cause you believe in. Love jogging? Become friends with runners, create your own club and go running. Always wanted to plant trees? Do gardening once a week. If you like photography, walk through your city and just click pictures on your camera.

GIF credit: Tenor.

And hobbies don't have to be limited to reading, writing or dancing. There are a plethora of hobbies that we can take up:

1. You love drinking, start making your own cocktails and become a bartender for the next scene you throw for your friends.

2. Always been enamoured by stickers and the art of writing letters? Start building a collection of these precious items.

3. If you were interested in how things are built, read up about woodworking and get skilled.

4. Always wanted to take stunning pictures? Learn how to click, edit and present them.

5. Bored of just painting sceneries, water lilies or plants, give painting action figures a try. Those who do it, come home running from work to do it.

Doing something you enjoy doesn't need to be stressful or if you spend an hour making zero rupees, that's not a waste. Nope. Just spend time doing what you love and you will be doing good to your soul.

Image credits: Pexels.