Why Moms and Wives Need Hobbies

Sister please! You chase children, cook, clean and yell part time. You need a way to decompress. 

The solution is not found in venting to your best friends. It is not found in telling your children to leave you alone (because they won't). The solution lies in finding fulfilling things to do with your time. 

You may be overwhelmed, but even that is from the dissatisfaction that comes from allowing everyone to put their tasks and needs on you. While you may not be able to escape the responsibilities and chores that come with motherhood, you can save space for yourself....with a hobby. Or two. Maybe three, girl. 

Get a Hobby, Save Your Life

Hobbies are the perfect escape from the mundane and even overstimulating aspects of life. It is the thing or things that we can do just because we want to. Everything else you do because you have to: take care of the kids, clean the house, cook dinner, show up at work, grocery shopping. A hobby is what you do for you. There is no tangible reward, just the feeling of accomplishment and knowing that you honored yourself and your time by doing something good for your soul.

You do not need to be particularly good or skilled at a hobby for it to be enjoyable. It is easy to think, I want to paint, but I am not good at it. All the more reason to paint. You can get better at it with practice and over time you will have a deeper appreciation for the craft. 

You need a hobby to keep you sane. It can be tempting to convince yourself that you do not have the time or energy to maintain doing a task that is not necessary, but once you do, you will thank yourself. 

The reason you are overwhelmed and anxious all the time is because you never take time for yourself. The only time you have alone is when you have an appointment or during pick up and drop off. That time does not count. It is part of your responsibility to yourself. You need time away from duty to focus on doing nothing or doing something with no real desired outcome. 

If you're stuck, here are some things you can do today while you think about a hobby:

• coloring
• crossword puzzles
• creative journaling
• scrapbooking
• filming/vlogging 
• painting
• drawing
• riding your bike
• walking

These are just suggestions to get you started, but there are plenty of other things you can be doing. 

My encouragement to you today is that you do not wait. Do not put it off. Pick up something that has no due date or requirement for completion and run with it.  You'll be glad you did. 

P.S. If you start doing something and no longer want to do it, pick something else! It's ok. There is no need to keep doing it just to do it.