Why All Moms Need a Hobby — Seriously

*Collaborative Post

Raising your kids is one of your favorite parts of your life, but it isn’t always sunshine and roses. Parenting is hard work. You deserve to take breaks and restore your energy, which is where hobbies can help. Check out a few reasons why all moms need a hobby and why you should reserve time during your week for your favorite forms of fun.

1. Hobbies Relieve Parental Stress

When you scroll through your Instagram feed, you likely see other moms posting cute pictures of their kids. The captions might talk about how much joy your friends find in being moms, which perpetuates the idea that you can only talk about raising kids in a positive light.

The reality is that being a mom can feel stressful. Research shows that 33% of new and long-time moms think parenting is stressful most of the time. If you bottle your stress inside your heart and mind, it will eventually explode in ways that aren’t good for you or your family.

Hobbies are a stress outlet. While you’re doing things like exercising, drawing or baking, you’re also releasing inner tension to feel more at ease again.

2. You Still Have Individual Interests

If someone asked you to define what being a mom means, you’d likely have a kid-focused answer. Moms prioritize their kids’ needs, put their family first and teach their children how to grow into successful adults.

Those responsibilities are important, but you’re still an individual with unique interests while raising kids. Even though you might not have time to do everything on your bucket list, you can still indulge your interests outside of being a mom. Spending time on little things like embroidering or painting affirms your identity as an individual, which could be something you miss about your life before having kids.

3. Your Kids Will Leave Home One Day

Children eventually leave their parents’ homes to start careers, continue their education or begin their adult lives however they feel is best. They won’t need you to brush their teeth or make their meals. How will you fill that time when that moment arrives?

Empty nest syndrome is a sanitized way of talking about the depression that can occur when your identity as a mom takes a backseat. Finding hobbies now will make that eventual free time less intimidating. When this chapter eventually ends, you’ll have interests and a purpose that makes life fulfilling.

4. Hobbies Create Social Opportunities

Parents often meet their friends while their kids participate in extracurricular activities. It’s an easy way to meet people who might be your age or live in your city, but it isn’t the only way to socialize.

Moms can also join clubs to meet friends with shared interests outside of parenting. People often attend in-person and virtual events to learn about hobbies like matching flowers by color to create gorgeous decor or plan seasonal gardens. If you explore new ways to meet people, you’ll find social circles that give you a break from the world of parenting.

5. You’ll Teach Your Kids Mental Wellness Skills

Kids learn from their parents in between conversations. If you’re always busy with responsibilities and exhibiting stress or anxiety symptoms, your children will pickup the same habits. They may think feeling bad when you’re an adult is normal. It could create a future where they don’t think about their mental health until they hit rock bottom.

Show your children how to manage their mental wellness by reserving time for your hobbies. You can talk with them about how creating breaks throughout the week to have fun is essential for relieving stress.

It’s also a crucial opportunity to remind yourself that you’re human. Moms might feel pressured to pretend they’re superhuman because so many people depend on them. It’s unhealthy to expect perfection from yourself all the time. You can’t give all of your time and energy to others without losing touch with yourself.

You wouldn’t expect yourself to work a corporate job around the clock without evening or weekend breaks. Don’t place the same expectations on your identity as a mom. Taking occasional moments to indulge interests like self-care stretching or reading teaches your kids to care for their mental health and avoid setting unhealthy self-expectations.

6. You’ll Engage Your Interests by Learning

Discovering new things about yourself or the world is exciting. It challenges you to reconsider what you believe. You’ll continue your self-growth if you constantly pursue learning, but parents might feel stuck in that growth because they only prioritize activities directly related to raising their kids.

Hobbies are great opportunities to learn new things. You may feel more fulfilled as an individual by trying something different. Whether you do that by reading books while your kids are at swim lessons or hiring a babysitter so you can try a yoga class, you’ll rediscover the spark of excitement that comes with learning new skills.

Find a Fun Hobby

All moms need a hobby, especially if they consider themselves too busy to have one. Reconnecting with your interests and finding easy ways to indulge them will validate your individual identity while modeling healthy habits for your family. Consider what activities you might enjoy to find creative ways to start a new hobby.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.