{"id":4249,"date":"2026-01-07T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/?p=4249"},"modified":"2026-01-08T15:00:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:00:49","slug":"the-secret-to-enjoying-a-hobby-half-ass-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/07\/the-secret-to-enjoying-a-hobby-half-ass-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret To Enjoying A Hobby? Half-Ass It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The moment I stepped into adulthood, my after-school routine of endless dance and drama classes fell entirely by the wayside. Instead, once I started working full time, I\u2019d go to the pub and then head home for my all important looking-at-phone-in-bed time<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This summer though, I finally decided to dip my toe back into the world of organized fun by casually<\/em> taking up yoga<\/a> with the intention of simply helping myself unwind in a healthy way. My semi-regular relationship with the activity means that I still set up my mat at the back of class, don\u2019t know the proper Sanskrit names for the poses, and mostly copy the person in front of me. But that\u2019s exactly what keeps me engaged with the practice: The blissful, no-pressure, low intensity of it all (especially in January).<\/p>\n

For 28-year-old Refinery29 writer Esther Newman, taking up embroidery<\/a> without the pressure to get better at it has been a big plus for her mental health. \u201cI find it really soothing and calming, having something to channel my nervous energy into, especially something that\u2019s physical and not screen related,\u201d she explains. \u201cI like having something creative and artistic that\u2019s all my own and that I don\u2019t have to qualify through its performance or a rating judged by someone else. It\u2019s just me who gets to say whether something works or needs a different approach.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many others though, the approach to hobbies is more all or nothing. Research from The British Heart Foundation<\/a> shows that the shelf life of adult hobbies in the U.K. is 16 months, noting that work commitments, busy family lives, and lack of motivation are the main reasons we let them slide. The societal pressure to be instantly great at something is likely a contributing factor in our apathy towards hobbies. How many times have you heard someone saying they want to start running<\/a>, only for every conversation to become about Fitbits and training for a half marathon? The very idea that you don\u2019t have to be brilliant at everything you do seems to have gotten lost in our never-ending grind culture.<\/p>\n

But why can\u2019t our hobbies just be\u2026 Fun? In a world where we\u2019re constantly on the clock or our iPhones, measuring our successes to our timelines and group chats, shouldn\u2019t hobbies simply be a space for relaxation? According to therapist and Counseling Directory<\/a> member Rose Fisher, engaging in hobbies on a more chilled basis is not only more enjoyable, but it can also be a major win for our minds. \u201cTaking up casual hobbies simply for the joy of it is important for our overall mental health and wellbeing,\u201d she tells Refinery29. The benefits of engaging in an activity for no other reason than fun allows us to achieve what she calls a flow state: That is, engrossed and focused on a single task, according to Fisher, which allows us to be fully present and rid ourselves of self-consciousness.<\/p>\n

This, she adds, in turn, helps to calm down our \u201cthinking mind.\u201d \u201cThe prefrontal cortex decreases in activity when an individual reaches a state of flow and this reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex enables us to be more creative and also think more freely,\u201d Fisher explains.<\/p>\n

While it might seem like a strange concept for our overstimulated brains, it is possible to go back to picking up and putting down hobbies when and if we feel like it. Just because we might have invested time into something, it doesn\u2019t mean we have to force ourselves to continue with an enjoyable routine. The idea of having to commit fully to something, reach goals and engage with it \u201cproperly\u201d is exactly what moves us away from the flow state, creating a feeling of unnecessary expectation and guilt if we don\u2019t reach those markers.<\/p>\n

Getting back to that source of exploration was something that 27-year-old aerial performer Ruby Baker<\/a> has experienced since taking up piano last month. \u201cI love learning something new for the sake of it. There\u2019s no pressure and it allows me to take my mind off all the other things I have to do,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m a bit of a perfectionist so it\u2019s really good for me to try something I\u2019m not good at and have a laugh with it. It takes away any self-criticism and judgment and reminds me that there\u2019s no right or wrong when you\u2019re creating art.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the main reasons that hobbies began to feel so much like work is due in a large part to the evolution of the side hustle. Bolstered by never-ending COVID lockdowns, and TikTok feeds<\/a> where everyone seems to be turning their knitting hobby into cold hard cash, for many the opportunity to make money has come at the price of falling out of love with their chosen activity. \u201cAdding financial pressures to a passion, or setting high goals for a hobby can have a negative impact on our fulfillment, as it takes away the simplicity of engaging with the task just for the pleasure of it,\u201d Fisher explains.<\/p>\n

Just because yoga brings me joy by engaging with a hobby in a casual, friends-with-benefits kind of way doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t feel the ongoing threat to commit and level up. In a cost of living crisis<\/a> where extracurriculars are increasingly expensive (my membership is $50 a month), the feeling that activities must be productive to be worth doing has never felt stronger, which is precisely what keeps most of us from taking them up or sticking to them.<\/p>\n

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It is very important to have some experiences in life that are not about achieving goals, proving ourselves, or winning at things.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

For 29-year-old radio presenter Mary Mandefield<\/a>, this is one of the reasons her recent bouldering hobby has been kept casual. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer in not making money from the things you really love. As soon as something turns into a hustle or a career, it can suck the joy from it. I used to be a dance teacher, and as much as I loved making some extra money from dancing around with my mates, I quickly learnt that having to think about insurance, marketing, and GDPR [general data protection regulation] made it less fun,\u201d she tells Refinery29.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very important to have some experiences in life that are not about achieving goals, proving ourselves, or winning at things,\u201d Fisher explains. \u201cThese activities help us to remember that our worth does not depend on what we can do, and we don\u2019t have to prove ourselves to be impressive, valuable, or useful in every aspect of our lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

24-year-old designer Georgina*<\/strong>, who previously went out running every day, recognizes her relationship with the activity is much better now that it\u2019s more relaxed. \u201cIt used to feel like a chore and I believed that if I missed a run then everything would be ruined. Not only my progress\u2026 It was more like: okay, that was a wasted day because I didn\u2019t run my five miles,\u201d she says. \u201cNow, I don\u2019t want to run because I \u2018planned\u2019 it, but just do it when I feel I need it. I actually enjoy it without the demand of getting better and I really don\u2019t want to spoil that magic. It\u2019s so comforting to do something just for yourself without any kind of pressure, whether that be internal or external.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it might take some mental reframing to break free of our overachieving mindsets, seeing hobbies as less of a routine-orientated practice and more as a source of play is a start. According to therapist and Counseling Directory member Rosalind Miles<\/a>, the social aspect is also incredibly important. \u201cHobbies often bring people together who share similar interests,\u201d she says. \u201cJoining clubs or participating in group activities related to your hobby can foster a sense of community and provide opportunities for people to get out and about and make new friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

As January brings with it unending conversations about what we want to \u201cachieve\u201d this year, giving ourselves permission to engage with activities we like on a \u201cwhen we feel like it\u201d basis seems like one way to actually keep going with them. The inherent shame of being average at something is stopping us from engaging with anything \u2014\u00a0when really we all know that doing a little bit of something that we find fun is better than avoiding it entirely for fear of not being able to achieve anything of significance. Stepping out every so often to take part in something is a win in itself and it\u2019s time we were all reminded of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

My next venture for the new year? Roller skating. Here\u2019s hoping for more laughs than broken bones.<\/p>\n

*Names have been changed. <\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally published in January 2024 and has since been updated. <\/em><\/p>\n

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The moment I stepped into adulthood, my after-school routine of endless dance and drama classes fell entirely by the wayside. Instead, once I started working full time, I\u2019d go to the pub and then head home for my all important looking-at-phone-in-bed time. This summer though, I finally decided to dip my toe back into the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4249"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4252,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions\/4252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}