In school, physical education felt like a humiliation ritual which meant that I was reluctant to try any hobbies that involved physical activity. It seemed to me generally that a hobby was just an impressive skill for your personal statement and had to be practised from a young age. Otherwise, why bother? That was until I saw a spell-binding performance of The Nutcracker at the Edinburgh Playhouse, and it struck me that maybe I could do ballet. Fast forward a few years, and I have finally joined a ballet class which has made me reflect on the beauty of taking up a new hobby — and daring to be bad at it.
My experience so far in the beginners’ class that I am taking, bright and early every weekend, has involved me getting to grips dancing with my incoordination, stiff knees, and bad posture. Although, my experience overall has been rewarding. Being in a sun-drenched studio with twenty other girls dancing to Bridgerton covers feels like it’s healing my inner child. Though I’m unlikely to be donning pointe shoes and dancing on stage any time soon, it has nevertheless opened up a whole new community and culture.
My mindset around ballet practice shifted when I realised that, even with immense skill and years of experience, many dancers still require a lot of practice to ‘perfect’ a dance. No matter how well you do a hobby, you need to be in a headspace where you’re enjoying your craft and are motivated to persist. If not, it is probably better to try something different.
Whether it’s a sport, art form, or musical instrument, trying a new hobby can be daunting and you might feel like abandoning it after a failed first attempt. It is important to keep in mind your motivation for taking up the hobby: be it to practise a skill, connect with new people, or simply as a way to have fun. Allowing yourself to try a hobby and enjoy it without the pressure of succeeding can still have many benefits for your mental health and physical wellbeing. I find just getting out of bed to move my body and socialise for an hour is an achievement in and of itself.
Of course, finding the time to consistently build a hobby can be difficult, but there is one hobby in particular that many of us already practise daily. Cooking for yourself is understandably viewed as a mere necessity, but when you branch out with new recipes or cook with your friends it could have the same rewards of a hobby.
The narrative about hobbies, and who is allowed to have them, is changing as people in their late teens and early twenties are taking up new hobbies for the sake of just being interested and curious enough to try. All you need is the desire for some joy and excitement in your everyday life, and finding it could just be a case of saying ‘yes!’ to a new hobby.
Image by Albane Mbow for The Student
