Could the secret to happiness and self-confidence be found in the art of crocheting? Or perhaps in the mastery of a new instrument, or the delight of a homemade meal? Join me, Tiona Thompson, in this episode of Affirmations of a Bad Bitch as we delve into the powerful impact of hobbies on our mental health. We'll be exploring the joy and sense of accomplishment that comes from developing new skills, and why the journey is so much more important than the destination.
As the season's change and we found ourselves spending more time indoors, it's the perfect time to discover your next passion. From cooking to scrapbooking, yoga, and even vlogging, I'm sharing 15 exciting hobbies for you to try. Who knows, your next hobby might become a beloved routine, a source of comfort, or even a small business someday. So grab a cup of tea, cozy up, and let's uncover the pleasures and benefits of embracing hobbies. Remember - you're creating your own happiness, and every step on this journey is a victory. So, are you ready to unlock your potential? Let's get started.
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Hello, my beautiful babies, I'm your host, tiana Thompson, and this is Affirmations of a Bad Bitch. Fall is right around the corner. We will be spending a lot more time indoors. Let's talk hobbies for baddies. Having hobbies changes your life, and here's why it's important for our mental health. You are learning new skills. You are learning new skills, creating new neuropaths in the brain. You are releasing stress by finding joy in creation and you gain a sense of self accomplishment. You feel good about yourself and whatever you are creating, whatever hobbies you choose to partake in, it doesn't need to be perfect. It's about enjoying the act itself, not judging the outcome. With that being said, to stop doing something that you love just because you aren't super great at it is so silly. Having hobbies gives us perspective from trying new things and patience, because we realize it does take time to develop skills. So sometimes we are super excited to try something, but we end up being really bad, like just shitty, and yeah, that sucks. But also, how would you be good at something that you've never done before? Don't be let down because you failed. Be proud and happy that you tried and then try again. Now you're one step closer to being good at it and then you become great at it. And you become great at it because you feel great doing it. You feel inspired, determined, you feel good about what you're doing and so you're already winning. You are creating your own happiness. This is so important being content and being happy, doing things that we enjoy with ourselves, building our own confidence as we develop skills.
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I am giving you a list of 15 hobbies that are perfect to start this fall, starting off with crochet, reading puzzles, you could learn to play an instrument, start scrapbooking, learn to paint, start writing, do yoga, draw, bake, get into photography. You could start cooking and maybe host like little weekly dinner parties that would be so fun. Pottery, vlogging, volunteering, and I could even go on and on. The list is endless and you might have to try a few before you find one that you really enjoy. But that's part of the journey and it's fun. There's a lot of growth you go through in that.
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And if you're thinking to yourself, I don't have time for hobbies. The next question would be what is your daily screen time? Please be honest, I think you probably have enough time for a hobby, even if it's 15, maybe 20 minutes a day. That's all the time you can spare. Spend that time doing something for enjoyment, for yourself and I'm not saying you can't ever just lay down and watch TikToks for hours but don't make that a consistent hobby. Don't be convicted to that. Find other ways to get that dopamine. Find something to do actively and something that allows you to get to know yourself more, and you will learn things about yourself, naturally, just by being with yourself and enjoying your time. Hobbies can also lead you to great connections. You can find community in hobbies, which is fulfilling in itself having people who understand you and support you and love you, not because you're doing something for them, but because you're doing something for you. And who knows, maybe one day you start a small business out of your hobby and then this hobby that you genuinely enjoy becomes work and you are being paid to do something that you enjoy and something that you would do even if you weren't being paid. Now, if you do turn a hobby into a job, I still think you need hobbies outside of that, just so that it doesn't feel like you're only doing something because you have to. Because as soon as some things become tasks like, oh, somebody's paying me to do this, I have to do it. I have to do it right now, even if I'm not feeling up to it, I'm not feeling creative. It's not fun anymore. It's not fun Besides reading or just going on walks or like hikes, one of my hobbies is crochet.
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I recently made myself a super cute hat. It has two little points that make ears. I am going to look like the cutest little kitty cat when I wear it this fall. But I had sent a picture of it to a few of my friends and, of course, the response please, I will pay you to make me a hat. Listen, I do not want your money. I am excited that you appreciate something that I made with my own hands. Of course, I will make you a hat bitch. I want to make it for you, like I enjoy the process of making the hat, so I'm making one for my best friend and it's special. The hat itself is not perfect, but you know, the entire time I'm working on the hat, I'm feeling super excited, feeling happy, feeling the love and thinking about how cute we are going to look and our matching cat hats together in Chicago. It's so fun to have little things like that to be excited over.
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But for me, I know for a fact that if I posted online or on Instagram or something oh, I'm making these hats and a bunch of people wanted one I would feel overwhelmed and automatically would not be fine anymore. I would be stressing about if it was good enough, or if they're going to like it. Am I making it fast enough? Like I would just worry, and then I would have anxiety about it and ultimately probably quit crocheting altogether, like never do it ever again. So let's not do that to myself, you know.
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Allow yourself to have outlets and to create and to have fun outside of work and just day to day life. Enjoy your free time. The way we spend our days is how we spend our lives. So will your life be spent creating joy or waiting for it to be created for you? The choice is yours. Now let's say our affirmations. Repeat after me I am strong, I am kind, I am loved, I send love. Again I am strong, I am kind, I am loved, I send love. And one last time I am strong, I am kind, I am loved, I send love. Last night was the new moon in Virgo. This is the perfect time for new beginnings and new hobbies. Thank you, asgore and Love.