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Starting a new hobby as an adult can be incredibly daunting. We strive for perfection and often fear failure, even if it only involves attempting a cross-stitch pattern with a frog sitting, sipping coffee in a cowboy hat—ignore how specific that was.
However, there shouldn’t be any shame in trying new things as an adult and being bad at them initially.
Something no one ever tells you is that there doesn’t have to be a “legitimate” reason for finding a new hobby other than the simple fact that you want to.
Purists may say otherwise, but it’s okay to start a hobby and make it your personality, even if you haven’t done it since you were five and are terrible at it.
While we’re often conditioned to strive for perfection, especially throughout our school years, we can discard this ideology when it comes to hobbies.
Perfectionism is an ideal that we use to trick ourselves into thinking about what we need to achieve. If we can’t succeed at something right away, it’s better to stop trying than to fail miserably.
In reality, failing and trying again are all part of the learning process. Progressively improving in an activity is one of the most fulfilling parts of picking up and practicing a new hobby.
Something is empowering about releasing yourself from the expectations of traditional success and allowing yourself to relish that you have tried something.
Without striving for perfection, there are still practical ways to set yourself up for success when starting something new, like considering when you will have time to do said hobby or are certain times that it would be more relaxing than others.
In addition, setting time aside for leisure activities can improve mental health, stimulating the brain and helping combat stress. On the other hand, a perfectionist mentality has been found to do the opposite.
Trying activities you enjoyed as a kid is an excellent way to rekindle your interests and find new hobbies you may enjoy doing.
If you want to try a new physically active hobby, the UNF Student Wellness Complex has a schedule full of classes and activities. Other activities, such as art and photography workshops, are also on the same schedule. Keep an eye out, as new events are popping up regularly.
It can get monotonous to follow the same routines and activities without attempting something new now and then. So, go out there and fail at something—you might find it surprisingly rewarding.
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