I believe that life should be celebrated and enjoyed. Engaging in a hobby can have a positive impact on our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. When we’re engaged in an activity we love doing, we feel good. By doing more of what we love, we are giving ourselves a longer time for positive emotion. And when we feel good, we vibrate at a high level, and we manifest our desires quicker. The better we feel, the better our life experience.
Doing more enjoyable activities can allow space to be a more creative problem solver. It can also help with increasing levels of empathy and emotional intelligence. Because a hobby is an enjoyable activity, not something that is being done because it has to, it can also provide a greater sense of fulfillment.
Following the work of Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, psychologists call being fully engaged in an activity as being in flow. Being in flow is like being “in the zone.” When being “in the zone” time stops and nothing else matters but the activity. Csíkszentmihályi suggested that being in flow is the secret to happiness. Research shows that being in flow can increase activation in the reward-processing region of the brain. Enjoyable activities have also been linked with higher levels of psychological and physical functioning.
Time becomes irrelevant when experiencing being in the flow because we’re so engaged in the activity. Being in the flow creates space to be present in the current moment. Our power is always in the now. Being in the flow and doing enjoyable activities can help one pursue long-term goals. It has also been linked to enhanced self-control. Refocusing energy to a pleasurable activity can help one become more resilient.
There is a lot of power and benefit in doing more of what we love. It doesn’t matter what the chosen activity is, as long as it is engaging and enjoyable.