Whether it's the weather, your 9-to-5, or the fact that you missed your evening yoga class that's got you in a funk, maybe it's time to blow that dark cloud away by tapping back into who you really are and what you love.
Think back to when you were a kid, lost in your medium of escape—the sandbox, the dress-up chest, or maybe the bright wash of watercolors splayed across your easel (or clothes, if you were anything like me); remember the joy and peace that focusing on something you loved to do brought. Now, in the midst of growing social calendars, work obligations, and attempts at maintaining a semblance of a healthy sleep schedule, make time to find even a moment of this serenity every day, regardless of monetary gain.
In today's digital age, it is easy to see things like iPhone photography, conversations between friends, and providing reviews online turned into a capitalistic venture, which, in all fairness, is a fantastic method of using technology to one's best advantage; however, the flip side of this is that the pressure to appear as or convey perfection is now enhanced and can often detract from taking in the most of the experience itself, or "living in the moment".
If you're struggling to remember or find what hobbies you could partake in, or if you're seeking a new pastime to spend your weekends entrenched in, check out Mantelligence's comprehensive list of over 541 hobbies, broken down into categories that can make sure the kids get involved, support the introvert within, or are for you whether you've just entered the workforce or are newly retired.
If none of these ideas appeal to you, go out in your local community and look up. A local art festival, limited-time museum exhibition, building you never noticed before, or café that makes you feel at home might be calling. You may have an untapped penchant for playing pool, writing poetry, people-watching, or dancing like nobody's around. Give yourself the space and, who knows, you might just surprise yourself.
Today, whether it's picking up your gardening shears, reading two pages of that book you've been meaning to get to before falling asleep, or dusting off your once-beloved cookbook or musical instrument, do something for you that breathes even one more moment of loveliness into the lifelong journey of getting by in this world.
