Can Trying New Hobbies Boost Your Happiness?

It is time for me to share how this month’s Happiness Project panned out!

This is the month that I was most excited to try and it did not disappoint! While I wasn’t able to get to every thing on my list, I was able to do a good amount of it. My hope is to finish my list once I get back from vacation in April. So let’s get to the hobbies I was to try this March:

Weight Training

This one was one of my biggest surprises of the month. I know I had included it on my goals list, but I really had no intention of getting to this one in March. I ended up seeing an Instagram ad from a fitness guru, Mari Llewellyn. After seeing the ad for the 100th time, I decided to see just how much her fitness plans cost. $28! Wait… did I really find a reasonably priced fitness plan? I was sold.

So far I am 3 weeks into her 1st guide and I don’t foresee myself stopping any time soon. Her plan is easy to follow and I am finally getting used to my muscles being sore 24/7. Weight training has never been something I have been passionate about, but so far I am enjoying it and I am glad I decided to try something new.

Rock Climbing

The hardest hobby of the month? DING DING DING. The winner is rock climbing.

I was able to get my rock climbing buddy Cassandra to show me the ropes, literally. I knew from the beginning that I would have to work past my fear of heights and get comfortable with the idea of falling/ repelling down. What I wasn’t expecting? How physically demanding it was. Holy moly, was I shaking! After just 2 climbs up the wall, I was exhausted. We only ended up staying for about an hour, but I did have a blast.

I would go rock climbing again, but I don’t think I will make it a main hobby anytime soon. But the delicious Gyros we had after the climb? Yeah, that is a hobby that I could get into.

Baking

My husband had a bit of inspiration in the kitchen this month. He took it upon himself to try out many new recipes, and I was blessed to try his delicious creations. The most impressive? He made us zucchini bread! We got the ingredients and got to baking. I did help out a bit on this one, and it was fun to work on it together. As I was mixing the ingredients together, all I could think was, “How is this going to make bread?”

I should have never doubted my husband though. When it came out of the oven, it tasted better than I could have ever expected. I see more zucchini bread in our future!

Kickboxing

Kickboxing ties for my favorite hobby of the month! One morning I woke up and decided to give it a swing(man, I am killing it with the puns today).

By the grace of God, I was able to rope my sweet husband into taking a class with me. I researched local boxing gyms and was able to get my first class for free. Now, just to be clear when I say a boxing gym I don’t mean your average gym that has cute “kick dancing” classes. I am talking about a smelly man gym filled with buff people who train for actual competitions.

The gym was helpful and provided us with everything we would need for our first class. The first 10 minutes were spent doing a warm up(that didn’t feel like a warm up). After that, it was time to start kickboxing. We were each led to our on punching bags and started to do drills.

When I say I love kickboxing, I mean that I haven’t felt that alive in a long time. The workout was incredible, but above that, it was the stress reliever I needed. I’m on a mission to find a kickboxing gym closer to me at a reasonable price. I can’t wait to try it again.

DIY Mickey Ears

I think it is clear that this hobby was a hit for me. My husband and I are annual passholders at Disney. We simply can’t get enough of the magic!  I always see people sporting unique handmade mickey ears and it dawned on me…. I could do that. I have a hot glue gun and access to Michael’s, why not? That my friends is the story of how Michael’s stole all my money this month.

So I started my hobby with Pinterest. Where else do you go to find DIY projects? I found a tutorial that look doable but cute. After I got all the materials I needed, I got to work on my first pair. Then my second. Then my third… Maybe I shouldn’t reveal how much time I spent on this hobby…

So far I have made 9 pairs and counting. After I began getting the hang of it, I decided that I think they are good enough to sell. So not only did I find a hobby I love, I also found a way to make a little side money each month. I would definitely call that a success.

So am I any happier?

HECK YES. This month was huge for me and my happiness. It is so important to step out and try new things. You never know if you will love something until you try. I plan to test out the rest of my hobbies in the coming months, and I will make sure to keep you updated on how they go.