Hey there Reader,
A 2023 study published in Nature Medicine followed more than 93,000 people aged 65 and older across 16 countries. It found that people who had hobbies such as gardening, arts and crafts, volunteering, games, or creative clubs consistently reported better mood, better health, and higher life satisfaction than those who didn't (source).
It makes sense. Hobbies bring creativity, self-expression, relaxation, and connection: all the ingredients we talk about when we talk about wellbeing.
I’ve been thinking about that research while doing a few new things myself.
One is LEGO. I built a bonsai tree recently. For someone who keeps saying she wants to learn bonsai, it made me smile that I’ve been doing bonsai in a different way instead.
I've also returned to knitting. I went through a phase of making scarves and blankets about 15 years ago, but this time I'm making my first piece of clothing: a cardigan. There is something steadying about the simplicity of it: the rhythm, the focus, the sense of seeing progress one row at a time.
What I'm noticing is that none of this is about achievement. It is about how these quiet, absorbing activities shift the state I'm in. I feel calmer afterward. More present. More resourced. Which is exactly what the research was pointing to.
Maybe hobbies really are a kind of medicine — for mood, for mind, and for the parts of ourselves that get overlooked when life feels busy or serious.
🔬Tiny experiment
Make time for one small hobby this week. Something creative, tactile, or playful.
Notice how you feel while you are doing it, and how you feel afterward.
Treat your attention as data.
đź“ť Journal prompt
What activities make you lose track of time?
How often do you let yourself do them without needing them to produce something?
What would it look like to treat them as part of your wellbeing, not a reward for finishing everything else?
đź’Ś Reader reflections: Your experiments, your insights
Did you spend time on a hobby this week?
What did you notice about your mood or mindset while you were doing it?
Hit reply and tell me about it (or even send a picture!). I’ll share reflections in future newsletters (specify if you want it to be anonymous), so we can learn and grow together one tiny experiment at a time.
đź“š Club corner
Our October book Radical Listening by Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Robert Biswas-Diener suggests radical listening starts with us being grounded and intentional.
Hobbies are one of the easiest ways to practise that. They help us slow down enough to notice what brings us alive.
👉 Click to join the book club here - it's free and you’ll get a reading guide, weekly prompts and end of month tiny experiment challenge to help you dive in.
🌱 Step into more
If you’re ready to reconnect with what nourishes you — not just what needs doing — coaching can help.
🌱 Flourish— 6 sessions to work on one pillar of wellbeing — Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, or Accomplishment — with practical tools and sustainable habits.
🌱 Life Beyond the Checkbox: Self Discovery — a 9-week journey to reconnect with your identity, values, and purpose.
🌱 Life Beyond the Checkbox: Life by Design — a 6-month coaching partnership to help you create a sustainable, joy-filled life aligned with what matters most.
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🌱 Not sure what you need yet? → Schedule a free 30 minute consultation.