For your mental and emotional health, having hobbies that you can find enjoyment and relaxation in is vital. However, if you’re not someone who has a big list of hobbies that they’ve been wanting to try for years, discovering a new hobby to try can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, there are some things you can do to help you narrow down what hobbies might be best for you at this point in your life.

To help you find just what you’re looking for, here are three things to consider when choosing a new hobby to try. 

Understand The Time You Have Available

One of the first considerations you’ll need to think about when choosing a hobby to try is how much time you have available to devote to this new hobby.

With some hobbies, you can pick them up almost immediately with very little learning time. But with other hobbies, like learning to play the piano, you’ll have to devote a lot of time to learning this skill before you can become proficient at it. Knowing this, if you don’t have a lot of time to spend learning something new that will take a lot of focus and dedication to learn, you might want to avoid hobbies that require this type of commitment upfront. 

Pick Something You Have A Long-Held Interest In

If you’re just trying to think of a new hobby off the top of your head, you might come up blank for ideas. But if you start to think about what interests you have that maybe aren’t associated with a hobby yet, you might find it easier to discover a new hobby that could be very beneficial to you.

To do this, think about something that you loved when you were a child or a general topic that you’ve always been interested in. Then, try to think of how you could make a hobby out of something related to this. For example, if you love history, you might find building historical models interesting. Or, if you played soccer as a child, joining an adult recreational soccer league might be a good match for you. 

Use Your Hobby As A Way To Relax

For most people, one of the main points of having a hobby is so that you have something you can do that’s relaxing for you. Otherwise, your hobby is going to start to feel more like work to you. So as you’re trying to pick a new hobby, think about the kinds of things that relax you, which may not be typical forms of relaxation. Going down this path could be a great way to discover a hobby that you’ll find mentally and emotionally calming. 

If you’re looking for a new hobby to bring into your life and routine, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find the right fit.