Hobbies aren’t always just for fun
Drawing's more fun than Xanax.
Like most people, I’ve always had at least one regular hobby. It didn’t really matter what it was, but it usually ended up being some creative outlet, like ice skating, drawing, singing, or dancing. I would spend my free time enjoying that hobby whenever I wasn’t doing other, more important things.
Since beginning graduate school, though, I haven’t felt like I had the luxury to continue my hobbies. For most grad students, there’s an end goal in sight in all your work. Everything you’re doing is propelling you closer and closer to being the successful professional you’ve dreamed of. Why would we want to waste time drawing a picture or going to take a dance class?
As I’ve discovered, I can’t deal with the stress of my program without my hobbies. For a while, I thought I was just being weak, and that if I worked harder, longer days I would get used to it. While I’m sure (I know, in fact) that some people have unlimited energy and work ethic, I personally can’t keep going at such an intense pace. At least not without breaks to enjoy myself in other, less intellectual ways.
We often forget about the health benefits of the arts, although art therapy is a widely-used strategy in mental health settings. At a 2003 seminar of the Institute for Public Policy Research, Mike White discussed the importance of the arts. He noted some important related findings:
An arts in health questionnaire survey carried out by the Health Education Authority
in 1998 produced 90 responses from arts organisations, an ‘overwhelming’ number of
which identified improvement of mental health. There was observational evidence of
participants achieving stress reduction (53% of projects), therapeutic benefit (57%),
improved sociability (59%), and skills development (70%).~From White, Mike (2003). ARTS IN MENTAL HEALTH FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION– A Discussion Paper. Mental Health and the Arts IPPR Seminar, London.
After some deep thought about my own mental health, I have realized that I won’t become an effective Psychologist without taking care of myself first. While at first it seemed trivial, I bought a sketchbook and some colored pencils, and started to spend time in the evenings drawing. I’m going to yoga or the gym a couple times a week too. Nothing too crazy, but it’s making all the difference. In the end, it makes my hours devoted to work more efficient and reminds me that there’s more to life than schoolwork.
For most students and young professionals with so many responsibilities weighing us down, it’s difficult to remember to prioritize our own well-being, but vital to our success in life. Ultimately, we can either be exhausted and too stressed to function effectively in our careers, or instead sacrifice a few hours a week to partake in some creative outlet. The latter option will make us physically and mentally healthier and more content overall.
If you, like me, are getting sucked into the American workaholic frenzy, I suggest you give some hobbies a try. They might improve more than just your drawing skills.
Does watching television count as a hobby? My experience has been that when I get home at the end of a long day at school, the last thing that I want to do is…well anything. Instead, I just need to lay in front of the magic glittering box and let its healing rays pour allover me.
Shayna, what are your thoughts on extra curriculars? On the one hand, they aren’t that stressful because there are no grades or professors involved. On the other hand, all of my extra curriculars tax my already overly taxed brain and bleed it dry of the ability to think or form cogent sentences.
The TV thing as a leisure activity is tough question. I think many many people watch TV in their free time to shut things off for a while. I’ve noticed that watching the most ridiculous, mindless shows are the best medicine for me. However, I find that just watching TV as my free time activity doesn’t give me an outlet to really let out my stress and use another part of my brain. By drawing while I have the TV on for background noise, I’ve found that I feel much happier and more rewarded. Physical and creative activity is the medicine I’m talking about, and that just doesn’t happen when you watch TV alone.
The research that is out there on TV watching sort of confirms this, although there’s little research on the impact of TV on your mental health. What we do know is that people who watch a lot of TV tend to be less healthy, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that TV makes you like that. We also know that people who watch a lot of TV often have less life satisfaction and more desire for material possessions and status. It’s believed that this is thanks to the unrealistic, consumerist commercials and programs we’re exposed to on TV.
So the bottom line is that TV does not replace an active creative and/or physical outlet, which I’ve found to be very beneficial. I’m sure it can be helpful for relaxing and “shutting off your brain”, but it’s generally less deeply satisfying than many other activities.
As for extra-curricular activities, I think they will only improve your well-being in the sense I’m talking about if they are totally unrelated to the nature of your work in the rest of your daily life. For example, if you’re tutoring kids in computer science while you are working as a Lawyer, I could see that being highly rewarding. If you’re on a committee doing legal-like work and developing policy, that will only add to your brain-drying experience.
Ah, Shayna, I’m so glad you’re writing, and finding an outlet in art, and allowing us to check up on you through your journal-thoughts.