The Pandemic is a Perfect Time to Pursue Your Hobbies

Stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and wearing masks are all new parts fo life that might last quite some time.

Every person has the right to be upset with the current circumstances of the world. It sucks. The summer of 2020 isn’t anything like I envisioned it, but I’m sure as hell making the most of it.

I went to the lake the other day and met a guy named Mike. Mike went fishing too, and I got to hear his story. He’s been unemployed ever since March and now spends five days a week doing what he loves, including fishing.

Mike said one thing that stuck out to me.

“It’s going to be weird going back to work because I’ve had so much time for hobbies”.

Mike’s optimistic outlook on the Pandemic inspired me. He didn’t pout about the circumstances. Instead, he looked at it as an opportunity to spend time doing the things he loves.

He’s the first person I’ve met who has had such an uplifting spirit about extra time on his hands. But I’m sure many people all around the world are doing fine, and some might even be thriving.

Studies on Mental Health

According to NBC News, “The National Center for Health Statistics and Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey shows that in the third week of July, 30 percent of adults had symptoms of depressive disorder, compared to 6.6 percent last year 36 percent had symptoms of an anxiety disorder, compared to 8.2 percent last year.

Commonly affected groups appear to be women with children, young adults, and people who are in sexual and gender minority groups.”

Based on these recent statistics on mental health, nearly one-third of Americans are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety. My goal is to to give everyone struggling with the Pandemic hope and optimism.

You May Have More Time on Your Hands Now

If you are unemployed and receiving aid, then you might be in the same shoes as Mike.

Let’s shine a positive light on the current state of the world right now and recall how many times we’ve said the words, “I’m too busy.”

Are you busy now?

Now is the perfect time to read those books you haven’t had the chance to read. If you wanted to begin a live gaming stream, you could do it. Whether or not you know how to write, you can give it a chance.

The possibilities of things you can do with your time are endless.

Well, almost endless.

Make a Plan

You can’t achieve things you want to accomplish without taking action and picking up that book, pressing the record button, or anything else you want to pursue.

You can approach a plan in one of two ways.

1. Write your goal down and review it every morning to see how you can make it happen. Writing down goals is one of the most popular strategies people use to get stuff done.
2. Speak it into existence by telling your friends or family about what it is you want to accomplish. By telling them, you will hold yourself accountable.

The only person holding you back from achieving what you want is yourself.

There’s Not as Much FOMO Anymore

Before the Pandemic, I experienced FOMO on an almost daily basis.

FOMO — anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.

When you cut out distractions from your life, your focus shifts to the things that matter to you the most, I have experienced the first-hand benefits of acknowledging what matters to me versus what I want people to think about me.

If you are on any form of social media, you can see all of the fun other people are having as well as the cool places they’re visiting.

When things shut down, and I stopped sticking my nose in social media all the time, things changed. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.

I finally had the mental capacity to focus on myself and not worry about what anyone else was doing.

I’m an Extrovert who is Thriving

As an extrovert, life became incredibly challenging because I was so used to going out and doing crazy fun things every day.

But the Pandemic has taught me to slow down just a bit and take things one day at a time.

Nature is beautiful, the people who mean the most to you deserve all the love in the world, and it’s beneficial to spend time by yourself.

Introverts Can Thrive With the Extra Alone Time

EE Health states that “Introverts tend to be energized by time alone, while extroverts draw their energy from the outside world: the people, places and things around them.”

I spoke directly with a friend who identifies as an introvert, who says that although she can’t do everything she wishes she could, times are much simpler now.

Being advised as a nation to social distance and self-quarantine as much as possible, that’s like music to an introvert’s ears. They can be at peace.

A Positive Outlook Always Wins in the End

Like Mike said in the beginning, there’s so much time for hobbies.

Sure, life is unknown going forward, but now is the perfect time for you to do all of the things you used to be “too busy” to do in the past.

Time is an extraordinary concept. It feels as though the world has been put on pause. But when it can finally defeat COVID-19, then we can go back to the daily grind.

Relaxing and doing the things that give you fulfillment shouldn’t leave you with guilt. We need ways to cope and stay occupied to keep our sanity, and that’s just life.

Which hobbies are you pursuing during the Pandemic?

When it rains, look for rainbows. When it’s dark, look for stars.