Hobbies: Take a brake, enjoy and reset !
hive-194848·@chaodietas·
0.000 HBDHobbies: Take a brake, enjoy and reset !
<div class="text-justify"> One of the benefits of living a slow life is the feeling of having a lot of time. Many will think that minimalists do nothing. However, leading a life at a slower speed allows for better time management as establishing priorities and activities that do not merit attention are discarded. This way, you can be a competitive professional, have a satisfying family and couple life, and still have time for many other things. <center><strong>Do you want to know how I spend my free time?</strong> I invite you to read on to see what it's all about.</center>  <center>[Source Mosaic image](https://pixabay.com/es/photos/mosaico-azulejos-modelo-textura-3394375/)</center>  This week ([#kiss Blogging Ideas 15)](https://peakd.com/hive-194848/@hive-194848/kiss-blogging-ideas-15), I found in the community several questions about hobbies, and I thought it was interesting to talking a bit about this aspect. The minimalist lifestyle has the characteristic of eliminating things to focus better on what is valuable. So is free time valuable? What should free time be spended? Often free time is used for physical rest. I love to sleep, but I also use my free time to take care of myself. This care can be on a physical level, but I give priority to my emotional and mentally.  <center>[Source](https://pixabay.com/es/photos/humano-a-trav%c3%a9s-de-en-pensamientos-1138001/)</center>  Do you heard of the concept of "mental hygiene"? This is a term that appeared more than 30 years ago and refers to seeking activities that allow our thoughts to rest, reorder them, and have calm. This undoubtedly influences the well-being and emotional balance (very necessary in these times). Most people have recreational activities that allow them to do "mental hygiene" but they do not take care to give them a name. Generally, an activity that we do in our free time is known as a hobby. It is an activity that we enjoy and that does not represent an obligation. The hobby does not imply a monetary gain. The best payment is the pleasure of doing that activity. Many have turned their hobby into a business and receive remuneration. However, I think that when a hobby becomes an economic activity some things start to appear that cause stress, and you end up hating that activity that you loved so much. That's my point of view, maybe I'm wrong! Minimalist lifestyles and hobbies are not in conflict. Peaple think that hobbies include activities that involve accumulating. For example, those who have as hobby collecting carts, collectible toys, stamps, and many other things. However, many other activities can be considered hobbies because of the rewarding experience they provide without the need to accumulate material things. We can have several hobbies throughout our lives. These vary as we change our interests and hierarchize the important things. It is as dynamic as life itself.  When I was young, my hobby was rappelling. It is a fascinating activity that requires a lot of concentration and previous preparation. It can usually be practiced in structures or outdoors. The descents are fabulous and gave me a sense of freedom. It allowed me to release all the stress, and I was charged with large amounts of endorphins and adrenaline that gave me a lot of pleasure. Rappel was a hobby for me, not a sport discipline, since I practiced it whenever I wanted, without obligation, and on the days I had free. Of course, it is an activity that requires following many safety and concentration rules.  <center>[Source](https://pixabay.com/es/photos/hacer-rappel-escalada-trepador-243141/)</center>  Another of my hobbies is cooking. Many see this activity as a household chore (an obligation), but for me, it has another meaning. When I cook, I get to transport myself to an interesting place. It is a magical moment of introspection. Each process of preparing food is like playing a musical instrument in an orchestra. It is a moment where time stands still, and I feel pleasure every time I execute a step. It is in this instant that I can focus on some aspect of my life and find several answers or alternatives to solve something practically. It is the moment when I am very creative, and many of my ideas are born at a professional level. When I finish preparing the food and serve it to others, the ultimate moment is to see their expression of happiness. It is here that I feel that I am in "the zone" and reset any adverse feelings that we sometimes face such as uncertainty, fear, anger, or sadness. After this voluntary reset, I feel that I am better, I can stay focused and feel fulfilled. As you can see food is not cumulative. Sometimes I prepare food to share with others. It brings me to double the pleasure. The only thing that accumulates can be a few extra pounds on those who eat my food 🤣🤣🤣🤣.  <center><i>Images property of the author</i></center>  Other hobby that I really enjoy is doing puzzles. It is an activity that takes me away for hours. I have a table where I place all the pieces and organize them in several sessions.  <center><i>Images property of the author</i></center>  <center><i>Images property of the author</i></center> I love to challenge myself with puzzles of more than five thousand pieces. I enjoy the small pieces and sometimes with very similar color shades. I spend many sessions until I manage to put a puzzle together completely. When I finish it, I leave it on the table to admire it, and then I take it apart and put the pieces in their box. I like some of them so much that I have had them put in a frame and hang them as pictures in my house. However, if they reach a certain time, I give them away and start again with another puzzle project, so I don't consider it a cumulative hobby since I do a kind of recycling of these puzzles.  <center><i>Images property of the author</i></center> Doing puzzles awakens my intuitive and detail-oriented sense. It cultivates in me patience and a sense of accomplishment. It's amazing every time I fit a piece in its place, it's as if I put in order those little details of my life, and I can go on with the feeling of having found the answer. It's very pleasurable. I love it! I have other hobbies, but I will leave them for another opportunity. I think I am a very restless person eager to live many experiences hehehe 🤣🤣🤣  My hobbies, although simple, give me that escape to take a break, enjoy and take pleasure in what I do, so I can return to my activities completely reset with new ideas and different ways to best face the challenges of everyday life. I don't have a perfect life, but I allow myself to do "mental hygiene" which results in my physical health and an optimistic state of mind. If you think about it, having a hobby is the cheapest therapy there is. I think it has saved me thousands of dollars of therapy to resolve personal issues. I'm not saying it replaces a specialist, but if you realize that many of our unresolved conflicts are the result of feeling overwhelmed, with thoughts crisscrossing each other short-circuiting 🙃🙃🙃🙃...just take some space to focus. <center><strong>And have you gotten that activity that allows you a break, enjoyment, and reset? Do you have a special hobby? Do you ever considered experimenting with an activity as a hobby?</strong></center>  <center><strong>Thanks for reading. See you in a future post!</strong> </center>  </div> 