Why you need to have a hobby that isn’t linked to children and work

Why You Need a Non-Work Hobby in Your Life

Why you need to have a hobby that isn’t linked to children and work

I want you to be honest with me for a few minutes. Do you have a non-work hobby? What about a hobby that doesn’t involve the children? You probably can’t say yes to both questions.

Trust me when I say that I’ve long been in the same boat. It’s common as moms to put our children first and not spare time for some expensive hobbies . As a work-at-home-mom, you likely find something that either involves the kids or work or even both! It’s time to find a hobby that isn’t connected to either.

It took me time to find hobbies not connected to work. After all, I’ve always loved writing and often use fiction writing as a way to escape. I also use reading as a way to get away from the world. But both are connected to work. My fiction writing is still writing and I usually read a book and review it. So, I needed something different.

I have two hobbies. I love yoga. While it’s something my kids have joined me in now and then, it’s something that I can do to complete escape. My second is one from my past that I’m getting back into. I’m using tarot cards and have a beautiful set called The Modern Witch Tarot Deck.

Whatever you choose, make it separate. If not from your kids all the time, at least find a non-work hobby. Here are five reasons you need a non-work hobby.

You’ll be able to escape your everyday life

Sometimes you just want to escape from your everyday life. You need a way to get away from the mundane tasks of laundry and washing up. You just want to get away from the constant focus on work.

Having a non-work hobby is perfect for this need. You can get into something that is an escape. If you don’t write for work, you could use fiction writing as a way to escape. It admittedly used to be mine when I did a computer science degree and worked in software testing. The creativity was my escape. Reading was my way to get away from the world around me.

Now yoga works as my escape. It allows me to focus on my spiritual self and block out the negativities and pressure of the day.


The Modern Witch Tarot Deck

A non-work hobby is just for you

This is something that’s purely all about you. There’s no need to think about what others will say. You don’t have to worry about whether your boss will approve the latest book review you want to write. You don’t have to worry about whether the children can get involved in it with you.

This is your opportunity to offer your mental health some support. You can even focus on your own physical health if you want to take up a sport. Or you improve your social circle (after all this lockdown mess, of course) through some sort of book club or other social club. It’s all about doing something that you like.

MORE: 5 top tips to make new habits stick as a WAHM

You’ll continue the enjoyment the whole time

Doing something you like is important. While you may have found something that can help you progress at work, you have to ask yourself whether you’ll enjoy it. If it’s not pure enjoyment, it’s not really a hobby. It’s work development.

Plus, if you change job or you start to resent your job, you’ll end up resenting the hobby. With a non-work hobby, you don’t learn to resent that because of something else happening in your professional life. Your children can’t take the fun away as they stress you out trying to get involved.

You step away from everything else in your life. And there’s no need to feel guilty if you do start to resent it or hate it. You can just step away from the hobby and look at something else to do.

You can explore another side of yourself

Have you really explored everything about yourself? How much do you know about who you are? This is something hobbies help us learn.

They give us a chance to find out more about ourselves. We get a chance to explore another side of ourselves. For many of us as moms, it’s time to rediscover a side of ourselves before children. For others, it’s a chance to have the guts to explore a side we thought we had but never had the confidence to explore.

Of course, exploring another side of yourself can be great in other ways. It will help you in social and personal development, which makes you better as part of the family unit and at work.

Why You Need a Non-Work Hobby in Your Life

You look after your own mental health

Finally, let’s touch on how a non-work hobby can be good for your mental health. This is something you’ve likely overlooked. After all, aren’t all hobbies made equally?

When you choose a hobby that isn’t linked to work, you’re giving yourself a break from that part of your life. When you choose something that doesn’t include your children, you get the chance to stop being mom for just 30-60 minutes. Someone else is there for your children and you just have to be there if there’s an emergency.

Your mental health needs you to focus on yourself every now and then. That’s what yoga offers me. It’s a chance to disconnect from the world and focus on my body, both physically and spiritually. It does wonders for my mental health.

MORE: 5 top tips to stay healthy as a WAHM

What is your non-work hobby? Are you ready to explore your options to disconnect from work and family?

Alexandria Ingham is a professional writer. She predominately ghost-writes in various niches, including fitness, finance and technology Everything is fully researched and well-written. Under her own name, she writes in the technology, business, history and weight loss niches

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