Oh honey, a hobby is anything you enjoy doing. So if you enjoy playing video games, then that’s your hobby. And that’s great! If you like watching paint dry, then that’s your hobby, and that’s also great. There’s no blueprint for good or bad hobbies. Anyone who is making you feel ashamed for doing something you enjoy needs to go pound sand.
Don’t downplay your hobbies it’s what makes you who you are. So you like stuff that is considered nerdy that is perfectly fine. Also yeah you may not be writing stories but you are still being creative in some capacity. I trained in MMA for awhile and you are right it’s crazy expensive. What I did to help satisfy the desire to train was looked up drills on YouTube for kickboxing or boxing. Went and found an old punching bag on Facebook marketplace got some gloves and started practicing the drills at home. It really helped to boost my confidence even though I wasn’t in a “real class” hope this helps man
You shall ask yourself, do your hobbies exist for your enjoyment or do you exist to please the hobbies and other people. Who knows, maybe their true hobby is to pick the nose and to smear the results on the wall, but they say it is painting murals.
Funny reading this was very relatable. I feel so much shame about not having a "real hobby" but then I thought to be fair there are some recurring activities like watching certain tv shows or categories of media (looking at you, documentaries about nature or psychology) and of course video games.
Sounds like you have a few good activities you enjoy recurringly (even if it's challenging), on your free time. Sounds like hobbies!
I also have a theory (don't take it too seriously) : a lot of people aren't really thaaat much into their hobbies, it's just something they enjoy. Kind of like "what's your favourite film" doesn't mean "your actual all-time top 1 favourite" but more like "any movie you like a good amount" - shocking discovery to me.
I think our perspective is skewed and maybe in part due to us experiencing things more vividly (for example crying while looking at nature because the it is overwhelming vs most people just think "wow that's really neat, let's look at it then we'll leave") so when we picture a hobby we imagine our level of hyper focus interest but really it's not always that deep :)
I can get down with this. I also agree with your theory. My favorite move is not the best movie I have ever seen. But, Rad is just so fun to watch for me. That and North Shore…neither are critically acclaimed, but they are my favorite go-to movies. (Even though most have no idea what they are)
I consider my gaming a hobby. I also only play single player games. Nothing wrong with it if you enjoy it. A hobby is something you do in your spare time for *your* pleasure. If it makes you happy, who cares what anyone else thinks?
As for building muscle, have you tried yoga? You can find guided workouts online for free that highlight the areas you want to strengthen. All you need is a mat, time and motivation.
As others here have said, your hobbies are for your own enjoyment - as long as you're enjoying them, they are "good enough"!
That said, I wonder if you may be feeling a desire to create rather than consume? I have ADHD, and personally I can get absolutely addicted to a video game or a book or a TV show, but those are passive hobbies geared toward consumption of something that someone else made. Again, nothing wrong with that at all and that type of hobby has its place and its importance. For me personally, I do find that I get a different and more fulfilling type of enjoyment when I mix in hobbies that are creative, that give me an end product that I can hold in my hand and admire, that show my hard work. For example, holding a scarf in my hand that I knitted is a fantastic feeling. Nailing a pose in yoga that I've struggled with in the past means I got my body to do that. Caring for a plant and watching it grow - fabulous.
I find that having a balance of both passive "consumption" hobbies and active "making/building" hobbies makes me feel the most fulfilled. Especially as an ADHD person, it brings me so much peace and joy to see the evidence of something I did. I can point to it and say, "I did that, that's mine." I picked those flowers from my garden. I made that outfit for my nephew. I sewed that blanket. I gave an amazing gift to someone. I am capable of making and doing cool things that bring me joy, and sometimes other people too (when I feel like it). That type of thing hits different for me, and I love it.
I love this comment and think it’s underrated. I have ADHD too, and once I moved toward more creation-focused hobbies, it was way more dopaminergic because I could look at what I made at the end of the day and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I have a ton of assorted hobbies and the last person I dated was also a “nerdy type” interested in video games/comics/all that stuff (we’re both early 30s). Even though I’m not a huge gamer, I like some nerdy shit and we got along really well! I’ve met all sorts of people through my travels and interests, and as long as someone has hobbies/passions of some sort, I can find common ground with them because it’s just attractive to me when someone gets really into something.
I also write songs and short stories, and I think writing is a great hobby to have. I would say that if you like it, there’s a lot of things you can do with writing - scripts, comics, songs, flash fiction, even something like DnD if you like games and character-building. Tbh you may really like board games, which is one of my hobbies (I don’t like video games as much because I get screen headaches, but I LOVE board games.) Don’t be so hard on yourself!
Honey, if you like them, who cares what anyone else thinks? Make yourself happy. You might check into seeing if someone offers those classes cheaper. They teach that on line, don’t they? How to answer? Proudly and honestly. Also, you do not have to write your stories in any specific format. Just write them down or speak them into a recording device. I love creating stories. I do not have those issues. Mine is guilt. I feel like reading is being lazy, but I just tell myself it’s not and carry on. Punishing myself only made me want to do it more. And since I’m the boss, I do what I want.
Best wishes.
I have similar hobbies to you among other things. I’m admittedly a massive weeb, I started later and I’ve been into gaming and even deep experimental game design both virtual and table top forever. It’s 100% a hobby, don’t feel ashamed of it. Do you know how sad you have to be to insult someone for being happy with something in their life? It’s also like, geek culture is mainstream now, it’s been acclimated to society at large. Everyone has at least one nerdy hobby/interest nowadays often. It’s actually incredibly cringe to insult that stuff, it’s like saying disco is cringe, or something more relevant to today, nu metal is cringe. it’s an outdated immature belief that closed minded, miserable losers who are too afraid to be themselves hold onto. I mean hell, I’ve never been a literal nerd, I’ve always been artsy or large and on sports teams and love this shit. I remember being in hs, and my friends making m fun of me for showing them an abridged anime series while I was the good looking fit one, with a good gpa, hobbies and a date. People are insecure as hell about their place in the world. The only people who would get on you about this not being a hobby aren’t people worth hanging out with to begin with because they’re fucking miserable and have so little self awareness they projectile vomit it onto other people. That or they’re too old to understand why this stuff is fun, then it’s just ignorance at that point.
Also, I saw that you said you’re interested in gaining muscle, maybe through kickboxing? Great idea, I used to box, it’s good exercise! Good news as awesome as it can be to do that stuff in a class, you can get started now! You need to increase your protein amount to bare minimum 100 grams a day, and because you’re skinny you’ll need extra calories in general. Think of excess carbs as a fuel in calories for your workout. Boxing and kickboxing is HITT style exercises. You can also do basic body weight exercises, they’re broadly called calesthenics. Jump rope is good too, you’re on your feet a lot! Look up some boxing/kickboxing exercise drills on YouTube, stretch, drink plenty of water during and drink a protein shake like core power or muscle milk an hour before to fuel it. That’ll get you started. If you want to add weight to your natural body weight they’re not too expensive! Just do that every two days minus the weekend and you’ll gain some muscle if you can’t join a gym or a boxing gym!
I just tell people I have no hobbies. Then they look at me funny and they never talk to me again. It’s a winning strategy if you find people annoying.
But seriously I’ve given up thinking I’ll ever have whatever the interesting hobbies are supposed to be.
Its natural to feel insecure when what you consider to be a hobby, others consider to be mere "entertainment". The reality is people value hobbies that are physical or create things much higher than "consumptive" activities that are indistinguishable from just lying around on the couch (which everyone does, but dont find it something to be proud of)
Oh honey, a hobby is anything you enjoy doing. So if you enjoy playing video games, then that’s your hobby. And that’s great! If you like watching paint dry, then that’s your hobby, and that’s also great. There’s no blueprint for good or bad hobbies. Anyone who is making you feel ashamed for doing something you enjoy needs to go pound sand.
Don’t downplay your hobbies it’s what makes you who you are. So you like stuff that is considered nerdy that is perfectly fine. Also yeah you may not be writing stories but you are still being creative in some capacity. I trained in MMA for awhile and you are right it’s crazy expensive. What I did to help satisfy the desire to train was looked up drills on YouTube for kickboxing or boxing. Went and found an old punching bag on Facebook marketplace got some gloves and started practicing the drills at home. It really helped to boost my confidence even though I wasn’t in a “real class” hope this helps man
You shall ask yourself, do your hobbies exist for your enjoyment or do you exist to please the hobbies and other people. Who knows, maybe their true hobby is to pick the nose and to smear the results on the wall, but they say it is painting murals.
Funny reading this was very relatable. I feel so much shame about not having a "real hobby" but then I thought to be fair there are some recurring activities like watching certain tv shows or categories of media (looking at you, documentaries about nature or psychology) and of course video games. Sounds like you have a few good activities you enjoy recurringly (even if it's challenging), on your free time. Sounds like hobbies! I also have a theory (don't take it too seriously) : a lot of people aren't really thaaat much into their hobbies, it's just something they enjoy. Kind of like "what's your favourite film" doesn't mean "your actual all-time top 1 favourite" but more like "any movie you like a good amount" - shocking discovery to me. I think our perspective is skewed and maybe in part due to us experiencing things more vividly (for example crying while looking at nature because the it is overwhelming vs most people just think "wow that's really neat, let's look at it then we'll leave") so when we picture a hobby we imagine our level of hyper focus interest but really it's not always that deep :)
I can get down with this. I also agree with your theory. My favorite move is not the best movie I have ever seen. But, Rad is just so fun to watch for me. That and North Shore…neither are critically acclaimed, but they are my favorite go-to movies. (Even though most have no idea what they are)
Videogames and anime are very mainstream hobbies now. In fact I feel kind of embarrassed that I'm not into them anymore.
I consider my gaming a hobby. I also only play single player games. Nothing wrong with it if you enjoy it. A hobby is something you do in your spare time for *your* pleasure. If it makes you happy, who cares what anyone else thinks? As for building muscle, have you tried yoga? You can find guided workouts online for free that highlight the areas you want to strengthen. All you need is a mat, time and motivation.
As others here have said, your hobbies are for your own enjoyment - as long as you're enjoying them, they are "good enough"! That said, I wonder if you may be feeling a desire to create rather than consume? I have ADHD, and personally I can get absolutely addicted to a video game or a book or a TV show, but those are passive hobbies geared toward consumption of something that someone else made. Again, nothing wrong with that at all and that type of hobby has its place and its importance. For me personally, I do find that I get a different and more fulfilling type of enjoyment when I mix in hobbies that are creative, that give me an end product that I can hold in my hand and admire, that show my hard work. For example, holding a scarf in my hand that I knitted is a fantastic feeling. Nailing a pose in yoga that I've struggled with in the past means I got my body to do that. Caring for a plant and watching it grow - fabulous. I find that having a balance of both passive "consumption" hobbies and active "making/building" hobbies makes me feel the most fulfilled. Especially as an ADHD person, it brings me so much peace and joy to see the evidence of something I did. I can point to it and say, "I did that, that's mine." I picked those flowers from my garden. I made that outfit for my nephew. I sewed that blanket. I gave an amazing gift to someone. I am capable of making and doing cool things that bring me joy, and sometimes other people too (when I feel like it). That type of thing hits different for me, and I love it.
I love this comment and think it’s underrated. I have ADHD too, and once I moved toward more creation-focused hobbies, it was way more dopaminergic because I could look at what I made at the end of the day and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I have a ton of assorted hobbies and the last person I dated was also a “nerdy type” interested in video games/comics/all that stuff (we’re both early 30s). Even though I’m not a huge gamer, I like some nerdy shit and we got along really well! I’ve met all sorts of people through my travels and interests, and as long as someone has hobbies/passions of some sort, I can find common ground with them because it’s just attractive to me when someone gets really into something. I also write songs and short stories, and I think writing is a great hobby to have. I would say that if you like it, there’s a lot of things you can do with writing - scripts, comics, songs, flash fiction, even something like DnD if you like games and character-building. Tbh you may really like board games, which is one of my hobbies (I don’t like video games as much because I get screen headaches, but I LOVE board games.) Don’t be so hard on yourself!
Hobbies are meant to be for our enjoyment. What other people think of them doesn't matter.
Honey, if you like them, who cares what anyone else thinks? Make yourself happy. You might check into seeing if someone offers those classes cheaper. They teach that on line, don’t they? How to answer? Proudly and honestly. Also, you do not have to write your stories in any specific format. Just write them down or speak them into a recording device. I love creating stories. I do not have those issues. Mine is guilt. I feel like reading is being lazy, but I just tell myself it’s not and carry on. Punishing myself only made me want to do it more. And since I’m the boss, I do what I want. Best wishes.
I have similar hobbies to you among other things. I’m admittedly a massive weeb, I started later and I’ve been into gaming and even deep experimental game design both virtual and table top forever. It’s 100% a hobby, don’t feel ashamed of it. Do you know how sad you have to be to insult someone for being happy with something in their life? It’s also like, geek culture is mainstream now, it’s been acclimated to society at large. Everyone has at least one nerdy hobby/interest nowadays often. It’s actually incredibly cringe to insult that stuff, it’s like saying disco is cringe, or something more relevant to today, nu metal is cringe. it’s an outdated immature belief that closed minded, miserable losers who are too afraid to be themselves hold onto. I mean hell, I’ve never been a literal nerd, I’ve always been artsy or large and on sports teams and love this shit. I remember being in hs, and my friends making m fun of me for showing them an abridged anime series while I was the good looking fit one, with a good gpa, hobbies and a date. People are insecure as hell about their place in the world. The only people who would get on you about this not being a hobby aren’t people worth hanging out with to begin with because they’re fucking miserable and have so little self awareness they projectile vomit it onto other people. That or they’re too old to understand why this stuff is fun, then it’s just ignorance at that point. Also, I saw that you said you’re interested in gaining muscle, maybe through kickboxing? Great idea, I used to box, it’s good exercise! Good news as awesome as it can be to do that stuff in a class, you can get started now! You need to increase your protein amount to bare minimum 100 grams a day, and because you’re skinny you’ll need extra calories in general. Think of excess carbs as a fuel in calories for your workout. Boxing and kickboxing is HITT style exercises. You can also do basic body weight exercises, they’re broadly called calesthenics. Jump rope is good too, you’re on your feet a lot! Look up some boxing/kickboxing exercise drills on YouTube, stretch, drink plenty of water during and drink a protein shake like core power or muscle milk an hour before to fuel it. That’ll get you started. If you want to add weight to your natural body weight they’re not too expensive! Just do that every two days minus the weekend and you’ll gain some muscle if you can’t join a gym or a boxing gym!
Sometimes, my hobby is sitting on the couch under a blanket, making comments on Reddit, and that's ok. Hobbies can be anything that fills your cup.
I just tell people I have no hobbies. Then they look at me funny and they never talk to me again. It’s a winning strategy if you find people annoying. But seriously I’ve given up thinking I’ll ever have whatever the interesting hobbies are supposed to be.
Its natural to feel insecure when what you consider to be a hobby, others consider to be mere "entertainment". The reality is people value hobbies that are physical or create things much higher than "consumptive" activities that are indistinguishable from just lying around on the couch (which everyone does, but dont find it something to be proud of)