How A Hobby Can Become An Obsession: Keep It Fun And Avoid Trouble

We all need our leisure and distraction to have fun in life. Even if you do have your dream job, there are always things in life you need to do, but might like less.

Any hobby can become a form of obsession and can cause trouble in the long run. If you like a hobby, you need to pick it carefully and consider some consequences, since some people might get in trouble from their favorite pass-times.

Here some trouble you might get from turning a hobby into an obsession. The consequences of having your hobby taking over you life, might be less fun.
- Financial trouble: when you collect things o... From: How A Hobby Can Become An Obsession: Keep It Fun And Avoid Trouble

Benefits of hobbies and leisure activities for senior citizens

Hobbies and leisure activities are beneficial for all age humans as it helps us engage in the chores which are fun to do. Needless to say that having fun and enjoying what we do for pleasure can help you delay aging and help fight age related illness.

From a report from 'Aging Home Health Care' it is suggested that senior citizens should engage themselves in hobbies like crafts, painting, cake decorating, playing cards, swimming, walking, gardening,

The report says:

'Participating in regular physical activity can help prevent or maintain control in some chronic illnesses such as: heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some types of cancer. Regular physical activity can also improve our overall quality of life by delaying disability and affecting how long we live.

Hobbies promote socialization, physical activity as well as using our minds. Using all of our muscles, including our brain is important to avoiding dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is also important to be aware of your emotions, your thoughts and your behaviors. Participating in hobbies helps us feel good about ourselves and have healthy relationships.'

Either you are going to engage you in some leisure activities or keep yourself busy with some kind of hobbies, and active lifestyle can keep your mind and body healthy for long time.

What benefits you can get from an active lifestyle?

It can help you to -----

- ability to focus,
- improve memory,
- reduce stress,
- enhance the immune system and
- improve self esteem.
Other benefits may be improved flexibility, balance, and better sleep.

Link to the article: 'Activities for Senior Citizens'

Learn about leisure activities

This post would help you learn about "leisure, leisure activities, importance, benefits, ideas for leisure activities and more". I have selected these posts for easy navigation purpose.

* What is "leisure" ?

* Recreation, hobbies and leisures providing refreshment to life

* Benefits of hobbies and leisures

* From where to get ideas for hobbies or other leisure activities?

* Develop a Hobby For Your Leisure Time

* Importance of Recreation and Leisure Activities In Our Lives

Importance of Recreation and Leisure Activities In Our Lives

* A man can never be idle with safety and advantage until he has been so trained by work that he makes his freedom from times and tasks more fruitful than his toil has been. By~Hamilton Wright Mabie

* It is in his pleasure that a man really lives; it is from his leisure that he constructs the true fabric of self. By~Agnes Repplier


We all need recreation and leisure activities to bring some joy and fun in our lives. It is a fact that recreation provides relaxation to our minds and as a result we can participate in our daily routines with more energy.

According to a difinition by "Open Site" Free Internet Encyclopedia:

Recreation is the undertaking of activities in spare time not spent working and sleeping. Such activities usually offer a balance of relaxation from work and stimulation from relaxation.

Recreation involves pursuing personal interests and includes games, sports, video games, watching television and movies, listening to music and the radio or participating in outdoor activities such as tramping and fishing. Eating, although necessary to survive, has turned into a recreational activity, pursued in free time to gain personal satisfaction.

In developed societies weekends and holidays are usually devoted to recreation. People often travel during longer holidays or on periods taken off work called vacations.

Recreational activities may also be played professionally as an occupation, at which point they cease to be recreation. This is most notable in sports, where some sports people made be paid high salaries to play their sport.

Cultural activities are an integral part of leisure and recreation. People participate in cultural activities for a wide variety of reasons: for enjoyment and entertainment, for personal growth and development, as a means of expression, to learn new skills, to meet new people and to pass on cultural traditions.

Leisure time is a crucial component of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. It is a time when people can do what they want to, separate from work and other commitments

Participation in physical activity is a source of enjoyment and has positive benefits for people’s physical and mental health. It can also contribute to personal growth and development and is a good way to meet new people.

Leisure and recreation are both crucial components of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Leisure time is a time when people can do what they want to do, away from work and other commitments.

Recreation and leisure play an important role in social wellbeing by providing people with a sense of identity and personal autonomy. Involvement in leisure-time activities adds meaning to individual and community life and contributes to people’s overall quality of life. Recreation can encourage personal growth and self-expression and provide increased learning opportunities, satisfying needs not met in people’s non-leisure time.

For many people, participation in leisure and recreation improves their physical and mental health. Recreation often involves a physical activity or sport. Research clearly shows increased physical activity can lead to fewer health problems and higher productivity at work, especially when combined with a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

The benefits for mental health are equally important. Several studies have demonstrated links between regular physical activity and a reduction in the symptoms of mild or moderate depression, stress and anxiety. Passive leisure also has benefits for mental health, by providing an outlet for the mind. It may provide physical rest, tension release and opportunities to enjoy nature and escape from the daily routine.

Participation in leisure and recreation activities can also have social benefits. It creates opportunities for socialisation and contributes to social cohesion by allowing people to connect and network with others. It can also contribute to family bonding when families do things together in their leisure time.

How people feel about their leisure time and also what they do in their leisure time?

- satisfaction with leisure time,
- participation in physical activity and
- participation in cultural and arts activitie.

The first indicator is satisfaction with leisure time. This measures how people feel about both the quantity and quality of leisure time available to them.

The second indicator measures people’s participation in physical activity. It gives us a sense of how active New Zealanders are. Moderate physical activity can improve a number of health outcomes.

The final indicator measures people’s involvement in cultural and arts activities. Cultural activities contribute to individual growth and provide opportunities for social cohesion and passing on cultural traditions.
Desired outcome:

Everybody is satisfied with their participation in leisure and recreation activities. They have sufficient time to do what they want to do and can access an adequate range of opportunities for leisure and recreation.

Leisure and Recreation


Recreation Plays an Important Role in Cancer Management

Recreation and Leisure Activities play a vital role in our everyday lives.
Passive activities relax the nervous system and help reduce stress.
Recreation and Leisure Activities contribute to significant reductions in inner tensions, depressive thinking and sleep disturbances.

Source: Eastern health

Hobbies and Leisure at "Parent Station"

The Parent Station is resource for pregnancy, parenting, women's interest and many other topics. You can read many Hobbies & Leisure Articles at the site.

Few article links:

- Get Started in Scrapbooking-It's Easier Than You Think

Side bar offers more post links for the topic like as:
Basic Color Theory Scrapbooking Ideas
Creating Scrapbook Pages that POP!
Guide to Creating a Genealogy Scrapbook Album
Quick and Easy Scrapbooking Makes Great Family Fun
Scrapbook Cost-Cutting Methods

So there is enought material which can guide you about the "scrapbooking" hobby.

- This article offers 10 fun activities to keep the children busy during summer: Fun Things to Do with Your Kids this Summer

- Photography section offers many useful posts about this hobby:
Digital Cameras: How They Work

The Parent Station sends out a Newsletter no more than once a week and no less than once a month.
Each Newsletter Includes:
A recap of what is new around the site
At least one opportunity to earn Prize Bucks
Helpful information pertaining to a variety of subjects, including (but not limited to): Women's Interest, Parenting, Marriage, Pregnancy, etc.
New information about our family of websites, including new topics, new sponsors, new features and more!

To Subscribe click here

Develop a Hobby For Your Leisure Time

Hobbies are a good pastime, as you can utilize your leisure time by developing a hobby according to your interests. By learning about various hobbies, you can decide which hobby appeals you the most. Either you engage yourself in a hobby or not, it is still fun to read about the hobbies, how people involve themselves in variety of leisure activities, hobbies or interests.

Leisure and Hobbies is onother hobby blog, offering posts about different hobbies.
Topics discussed are:

Stamp Collecting
Coin Collecting
Pet Fish
Pet Birds
Fitness
Hiking
Camping
Guitars
Outdoors
Hammocks
Barbeque
Skydiving

As in Stamps Collecting section there are many posts relating to the topic like as: Stamp Collecting - A Beginner’s Glossary, Tools for the Collector, Storing Your Collection, Stamps as Investment etc.

Site link: Leisure and Hobbies

Hobbies and their importance for women

Hobbies, leisures or recreation are not pastime activities but they help us keeping our mind relaxed and it effects our health also. Peter Lichtenberg, Ph.D., director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University says:

"Hobbies can engage you physically and mentally. People who have a hobby "are generally healthier. We also know they are at a lower risk for depression and dementia. The great value of hobbies is they're a way for people to stay engaged on multiple levels."

So hobbies are important for all, but it is very strange fact that we don't take women's hobbies very seriously. Women are supposed to engage themselves in daily life, work and home chores. But women also need recreation in the form of hobbies or pastimes activities. I read an article at "Lifescript" which is from "Samantha Rhodes". Article is very informative but I abstracted few benefits she has mentioned in it.

1- It allows a woman the chance to relieve stress and revitalize the mind and body. Whatever hobby you choose to learn and enjoy, remember that not only are you allowing your creativity to flourish but you are also improving your overall well-being.

2- A hobby is a chance to allow your creative side to thrive. We all have hidden talents within us and no one but ourselves can discover what it is. By trying out different crafts you are interested in learning, you will be more likely to discover your hidden creative treasure.

3- It allows you the chance to do something with your children, your spouse, or your friends. A hobby can bring you closer to someone, especially if you share the same passion and interest for a particular area. Children are great examples of why hobbies are important. Kids love to get elbow-deep in a craft project because it gives them the feeling of accomplishment.

4- Hobbies even make great gifts for friends and family because you are creating something unique and from the heart.

5- Hobbies can even save you a few dollars. As an example if sewing is your forte, you can make clothes for your children without having to fork out a load of cash for an outfit they will outgrow in a year.

Why Hobbies Are Beneficial For Women

Related post:

The role of hobbies in our lives

Recreation, hobbies and leisures providing refreshment to life

We often use the terms "hobby", "leisure", "recreation", and we know it very well that recreation, leisure or hobbies are an essential part of our lives, providing refreshment to us. Hobbies, leisures or recreational activities keep us occupied between work and family, and cultivating a good hobby have calming or helpful therapeutic side effects.

"Research has shown that recreation contributes to life satisfaction, quality of life, health and wellness, and that the use of recreation as a diversion may have clinical applications to individuals with chronic pain and other health impairments.

Recreation is essential to the longevity of human beings, especially because it helps counteract stress. According to research cited in Time magazine, stress is a major factor in many of the leading causes of death in the United States"

Do you know the difference between them these terms?

"Hobbies and leisures" have the similar meanings, as per their definitions.

"Leisure" - according to Wiki pedia:

"Leisure or free time, is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity."
whereas "hobby" is defined as:

"A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit."

Here comes another words "recreation":

"Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's body or mind. While leisure is more likely a form of entertainment or rest, recreation is active for the participant but in a refreshing and diverting manner."

To read more about the topic at "Wikipedia": recreation

Few links to the sites with leisure or recreation information:

- Leisure activity.co.uk experiences and researches all kinds of different leisure activities and then review them to give you an idea of each one. There are many fun and leisure ideas and suggestions according to occassion like for winter, for sunny days and fun for all family.

- A blog to share harder to find information about a variety of recreational topics and ideas. Recreation ease

Related post:

Benefits of hobbies and leisures

What is "leisure" ?

"It is in his pleasure that a man really lives; it is from his leisure that he constructs the true fabric of self.
~Agnes Repplier"

We use this word very frequently but usually we don't think more about the meaning in details.

Wikipedia describes it:

Leisure or free time, is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities such as eating and sleeping, going to work or running a business, attending school and doing homework, household chores, and day-to-day stress. The distinction between leisure and compulsory activities is loosely applied, i.e. people sometimes do work-oriented tasks for pleasure as well as for long-term utility.

For an experience to qualify as leisure, it must meet three criteria:

1) The experience is a state of mind.

2) It must be entered into voluntarily.

3) It must be intrinsically motivating of its own merit.

The word leisure comes from the Latin word licere, meaning “to be permitted” or “to be free,” via Old French leisir, and first appeared in the early fourteenth century.

Types of leisure

Active leisure activities involve the exertion of physical or mental energy. Low-impact physical activities include walking and yoga, which expend little energy and have little contact or competition. High-impact activities such as kick-boxing and soccer consume much energy and are competitive. Some active leisure activities involve almost no physical activity, but do require a substantial mental effort, such as playing chess or painting a picture. Active leisure and recreation overlap significantly.

Passive leisure activities are those in which a person does not exert any significant physical or mental energy, such as going to the cinema, watching television, or gambling on slot machines. Some leisure experts discourage these types of leisure activity, on the grounds that they do not provide the benefits offered by active leisure activities. For example, acting in a community drama (an active leisure activity) could build a person's skills or self-confidence. Nevertheless, passive leisure activities are a good way of relaxing for many people.

Examples of leisure activities

A woman relaxes in an urban park and enjoys a book during her lunch break.People who work indoors and spend most of their time sitting and doing sedentary office work can add physical activity to their lives by doing sports during their leisure time, such as playing a ball game, going camping, hiking or fishing. On the other hand, people whose jobs involve a lot of physical activity may prefer to spend their free time doing quiet, relaxing activities, such as reading books or magazines or watching TV. Some people find that collecting stamps, postcards, badges, model cars or ships, bottles, or antiques is a relaxing hobby.

Free time is organized in many schools and institutions. Schools offer many extracurricular activities including hobby groups, sports activities, and choirs. Other institutions such as retirement homes and hospitals also offer activities such as clubs and meetings for playing games.

Most people like socializing with friends for dinner or a drink after a hard day at work. For many young people, having a regular night out a week is a normal part of their free time, whether it is joining friends for a drink in a pub, dining out in a restaurant, watching a film, playing video games or dancing the night away at a club.

Some people do leisure activities that also have a longer-term goal. In some cases, people do a leisure activity that they hope to turn into a full-time activity (e.g., volunteer paramedics who hope to eventually become professional paramedics). Many people also study part-time in evening university or college courses, both for the love of learning, and to help their career prospects.

Source: Wikipedia

And few quotes about "leisure" from 'Quote Garden':

* Leisure only means a chance to do other jobs that demand attention.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
* The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.
~Arthur Lacey
* He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate.
~Henry David Thoreau
* Any notion of the serious life of leisure, as well as men's taste and capacity to live it, has disappeared. Leisure [has become] entertainment.
~Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind, 1987
* Leisure: A fancy word for people who don't want to admit they're bored.
~Gene Perret
* If you are losing your leisure, look out; you may be losing your soul.
~Logan P. Smith
* I would not exchange my leisure hours for all the wealth in the world.
~Comte de Mirabeau

Related posts:

* Recreation, hobbies and leisures providing refreshment to life

* Benefits of hobbies and leisures

Benefits of hobbies and leisures

Hobbies or leisure are good way to pass time, which not only keep you busy and give you pleasure, but you get many benefits from it.

Hobbies can engage you physically and mentally. People who have a hobby are generally healthier." This comment is from director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University. Not only in sense of emotional or physical health, hobbies are good for us in many ways.

"When people do things that make them feel good, like a hobby, it activates an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens that controls how we feel about life", said Dr. S. Ausim Azizi, chairman of the department of neurology at Temple University’s School of Medicine in Philadelphia who studies brain activity and cell signaling. "Activities you enjoy also stimulate the brain’s septal zone — its “feel good” area — and that makes you feel happy", said Dr. Azizi.

Hobbies can enhance your creativity, help you think more clearly and sharpen your focus,
said Carol Kauffman, an assistant clinical professor at Harvard Medical School. “When you’re really engaged in a hobby you love, you lose your sense of time and enter what’s called a flow state, and that restores your mind and energy,” she said. In a flow state, you are completely submerged in an experience, requiring a high level of concentration. Research shows strong correlations between flow states and peak performance, said Ms. Kauffman.

Being in that heightened state of concentration raises the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain — chemicals like endorphins, norepinephrine and dopamine — that keep you focused and interested in what you’re doing and that energize you, said Dr. Gabriela Corá, a psychiatrist who is managing partner of the Florida Neuroscience Center and president of Executive Health and Wealth Institute, an executive coaching firm in Miami.

“Making time for enjoyable activities stimulates parts of the brain associated with creative and positive thinking. You become emotionally and intellectually more motivated,” she said.

Hobbies also enhance self-esteem and self-confidence.

Feeling that you are solely defined by your job — even if it is going well — can raise your chances of experiencing anxiety, depression and burnout, because you don’t have a perception of yourself outside of work, said Michelle P. Maidenberg, a psychotherapist and business coach in New York, and clinical director of Westchester Group Works, a center for group therapy.

“When people rely only on their role at work to foster self-esteem, that alone cannot typically fulfill their needs,” she said. If you are unhappy with your work performance, you are more inclined to define yourself as inadequate, but if your identity is varied — businesswoman, mother, wife, painter, cook — you can reflect on your success in those other things, she said.

Hobbies can make you better at job!

How?
Doing something you enjoy can help you think more creatively and give you confidence. Ms. Kauffman said a hobby could even help prepare you for a difficult meeting, making you more sure of yourself and energetic. “Let’s say you are passionate about opera. Google your favorite opera piece and listen for five or six minutes,” she said. “That positive emotion builds your cognitive and social skills. If you follow your bliss for a little while, it really gives you a surge of energy.”

Challenging and stimulating hobbies may inspire ideas that will help you at work — leading, for example, to a new approach to making presentations, solving problems or meeting a client’s needs. “Any time you take a break from routine, you develop new ways of thinking,” said Gail McMeekin, a psychotherapist and owner of Creative Success, a career coaching company in Boston and author of “The Power of Positive Choices.”

Ms. McMeekin said that by tapping into our creativity through hobbies, we make connections that lead to a flurry of insights and new ideas.

Source of article: Hobbies Are Rich in Psychic Rewards

Related post:

The role of hobbies in our lives

"Video jug" - offering instructional videos for many hobbies and leisure

Video jug is a community based video library with many hobby and leisure links for hobbyist.
At each and every link you may watch instructional videos for the topic.
It is a comprehensive library of free factual video content online.
The professionally-produced, high definition videos cover every conceivable topic and the site is the definitive online "encyclopaedia of life".

"Leisure and Hobbies" section is full with leisure and hobby ideas.
The topic are: art& craft, astrology, card and bar games, camping, comic books, knitting and needle work, magic and party tricks, digital photography, podcasting, video games, astronomy, writing and publishing, skates and scooters, skateboarding, kiting, horse riding, puzzles and more.

Every topic have more pages with videos.

Link to the page: Leisure and Hobbies

More about the site:

The video content on the site takes a variety of formats that include informative "How To" and "Ask The Expert" films that guide you, step-by-step, through everything and anything in life.
The “How To” format delivers easy-to-follow, bite-size tutorials on a wide range of topics from cleaning tips and sport, to relationship advice and recipes. These answer are provided by celebrities, professors, high-flying professionals, coaches, teachers, or consultants - who provide answers to common questions and concerns.
For hobbyist this site would be helping in providing how to videos for many hobbies.

What you get at the site?

You can share your own videos and take part in the discussion forum. Obviously you can get more information about your hobbies at the forum.
Link: forum
Sign up for their regular newsletter and updates on new VideoJug films:
Link: sign up here

From where to get ideas for hobbies or other leisure activities?

What you do when you have nothing to do at your leisure?
(Even you are bored with your hobbies)

Better to look around for hobby ideas. Because hobbies help us spend our spare time in a better way and many hobbies provide us joy or satisfaction.
There are times when you really feel and say,"I’m bored"

Idea helper is a site where you can post your ideas, add or look for ideas about hobbies.

The topics catagories are: Birthday, Business, General, History, Lifestyle, Wedding and you can search for recipe ideas, making gift basket, wedding anniversary, money saving, presentation, marketing, kids activity and a lot more ideas.

* List of hobby ideas provides you a long list of hobby ideas, so when you are short in ideas or look around and can't decide which in hobby you should engage yourself, then this list can help you.

More idea pages:
- Student idea list

- Kids activity ideas
- Children's party craft ideas

- Welcome home ideas
If you have good ideas about any occasion, any topic and want to add to the site: add your idea

More links to get ideas:

- Find some creative and hobby ideas at "Creative world" site from "Camlin: Do it yourself

- "Hobby University" is for Hobby ideas, education, and other hobby-related information for all. You can find craft techniques, gift, skill, tips and tricks at the site.
Link: Hobby University

- At "HG TV": site Hobby Ideas for Kids

- At your finder tips provides ideas to hlep make children more creative.

- For a lot of hobby ideas and articles: Hobby only.net

- Hobbyist project ideas at Staedtler.co.uk

- Get ideas and tips, articles on hobbies: Hobby craft- hobby guide