posted 10th March 2026
5 minute read
I’ve been noticing something lately. Walking through the woods near where I live, I’ve seen more groups of people out together chatting, laughing, clearly enjoying each other’s company as they walk. There’s something about the arrival of spring, the lighter evenings, the first hints of warmth, that seems to draw people out. And there’s something wonderful about watching people engage in an activity simply because they enjoy it.
It got me thinking about how many of my clients have fallen into a pattern that looks something like this: work, sleep, eat, repeat. The weekends blur into catching up on chores or recovering from the week. Hobbies? Those fell away somewhere along the line. Time for pursuits outside of work? That feels like a luxury they can’t afford.
If this sounds familiar, I want to ask you something - when did you stop doing things simply because they brought you joy?
The Slow Disappearance of Our Outside Lives
It often happens gradually. You start a new job, or take on more responsibility, or go through a demanding period at work. You tell yourself you’ll get back to that book club, that pottery class, that Saturday morning run once things calm down. But things don’t calm down, or by the time they do, the habit is broken. You’ve forgotten why you enjoyed it in the first place. It feels harder to start again than to just keep going as you are.
Before you know it, your identity has narrowed. You’re primarily your job title, your role, your professional self. The other parts of who you are, the creative part, the playful part, the part that loves learning new things or connecting with nature or making things with your hands - those parts have gone quiet.
Why Hobbies and Pastimes Matter
There’s a reason why hobbies matter, and it goes far deeper than simply “having something to do” in your spare time.
When you engage in an activity you genuinely enjoy, something shifts. You’re using a different part of your brain. If you spend your working day solving problems and making decisions, perhaps you’re now creating something with your hands. If your job requires constant interaction, perhaps you’re now peacefully tending an allotment. If you sit at a desk all day, perhaps you’re now moving your body in ways that feel good.
Hobbies remind you that you have value beyond what you produce at work. They connect you with a side of yourself that craves expression, the part of you that exists simply to experience joy, curiosity, connection, or flow. They give you an outlet for who you are beyond your worker role.
They can also bring balance. When work feels overwhelming or unfulfilling, having something else in your life that brings you satisfaction can be grounding. It reminds you that work is one part of your life, not the entirety of it.
And there are other benefits too. Many hobbies naturally bring you into contact with other people who share your interests. Those walking groups I mentioned? They’re more than just exercising; they’re building community, having conversations, connecting in a way that’s increasingly rare in our busy lives. Some hobbies get you outside, which has its own restorative qualities, particularly as spring arrives and the natural world comes back to life.
The best part? New hobbies don’t have to cost anything. Walking is free. So is joining a local running club, borrowing books from the library, learning to draw with pencils you already have, or revisiting an instrument that’s been gathering dust. A recent client was surprised to find that completing puzzles help to quieten her mind, her friend lends her puzzles she’s bought from the charity shops.
Starting Something New (or Returning to Something Old)
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, but where do I even start?” - that’s a good question.
Sometimes it’s about trying something entirely new. Something you’ve been curious about but never made time for. A language you’ve always wanted to learn, a craft you’ve seen others do and thought “I’d like to try that,” a sport or physical activity that looks interesting.
Other times, it’s about returning to something you used to love but can’t quite recall why you stopped. Perhaps you used to paint, or play music, or go for long walks, or cook elaborate meals just for the pleasure of it. Somewhere along the way, life got busy and those things fell away. What would it be like to pick them up again?
The key is to actually commit to starting. Not in a pressured, “I must do this perfectly” way, but in a genuine, “I’m going to give this a proper go” way. That means building it into your routine, whether that’s daily or weekly, so it becomes part of your life rather than something you do if you happen to have spare time.
This is where many of us stumble. We think about taking up something new, we might even sign up for a class or buy some supplies, but then we don’t follow through. Work gets busy. We’re tired. It feels easier to just collapse in front of the television.
But here’s what I’ve observed with clients who do make the commitment: once they push through that initial resistance and the new activity becomes part of their routine, they wonder why they didn’t do it sooner. It becomes something they look forward to. A bright spot in their week. A reminder that they’re more than their job.
Permission to Try and Permission to Stop
There’s something else I want to say about trying new things: you’re allowed to discover it’s not for you.
I’ll give you my own example. I tried a martial arts class called Pil Sung Do. I was genuinely interested, signed up, and went regularly. At first, I really liked it because it was new, challenging, and energising. But after a few months, I started to notice I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore and I’d leave class feeling drained rather than enlivened.
It took me a while to admit this to myself because I’d made a commitment, and I don’t like giving up on things. But eventually I realised that I’m a Tai Chi and yoga person at heart. I need gentler movement, slower pacing, more emphasis on breath and flow. And that’s absolutely fine.
Stopping the martial arts didn’t mean it was a waste of time, it was valuable information about who I am and what I need. I gave it a proper go, and in doing so, I learned something important about myself. It also confirmed that Tai Chi and yoga genuinely serve me, rather than just defaulting to them out of habit.
So, if you try something and discover it’s not for you, give yourself a pat on the back for trying. You’ve learned something. You can redirect that energy towards something that suits you better. There’s no obligation to persist with something that doesn’t bring you joy or serve you well.
Using Coaching to Support This Shift
If the idea of trying something new appeals to you but you’re finding it difficult to actually make it happen, coaching can help.
Often, what stops us isn’t lack of interest or time, but the internal barriers we’ve built up. The voice that says, “You’re too old to start something new,” or “You’re not creative,” or “You should be focusing on more important things.” The guilt about taking time for yourself when there are so many other demands. The perfectionism that says if you can’t do it well, there’s no point doing it at all.
In coaching, we can explore what’s really stopping you. We can examine those beliefs and test whether they’re actually true or just familiar stories you’ve been telling yourself. We can work on building new habits and routines that make space for activities beyond work. We can practise giving yourself permission to do things simply because they bring you joy, without needing to justify or optimise them.
Coaching can also help you reconnect with who you are beyond your professional role. When you’ve spent years defining yourself primarily through work, it can feel strange, even uncomfortable, to engage other parts of yourself. You might need support in rediscovering what you actually enjoy, what lights you up, what makes you feel most like yourself.
An Invitation
As we move into spring - a season of growth, renewal, and things coming back to life - I want to invite you to consider: what would it look like to bring something back to life in your own experience?
What activity have you been curious about but never tried?
What did you used to love doing that you’ve lost touch with?
What part of yourself has gone quiet that’s asking for expression?
It doesn’t have to be grand or expensive or impressive. It just has to be something that’s yours, something that reminds you that you’re more than your job, more than your to-do list, more than your productivity.
Maybe it’s joining one of those walking groups in the woods. Maybe it’s finally signing up for that pottery class. Maybe it’s getting your old guitar out of the loft. Maybe it’s simply allowing yourself to read fiction again instead of only work-related material.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to commit to it. Build it into your routine and allow yourself to be a beginner. What’s lovely about being a beginner is that no one is expecting you to know things, what a difference that can make when you are always the go-to person at work! Notice what shifts when you make space for activities that feed parts of yourself beyond the worker, beyond the productive, responsible adult.
And if it turns out it’s not for you? That’s valuable too. You’ve learned something. You can try something else.
The point isn’t to add another item to your to-do list or to achieve mastery at something new. The point is to remember that you’re a whole person with many facets, and all of those parts of you deserve attention and expression.
You deserve to do things simply because they bring you joy.
If you’re struggling to make space for yourself beyond work or finding it difficult to reconnect with activities and interests you’ve lost touch with, coaching can help. Get in touch to explore how we might work together to help you rediscover balance, joy, and the parts of yourself that have been waiting patiently for your attention.