Quit making resolutions every year! Individuals, and particularly those from younger generations, have decided that resolutions are not a great choice if we want to develop ourselves. Resolutions are argued to merely be a tokenistic approach saying that we will become better versions of ourselves. But who said we aren’t good enough now? This is why people across the world are attempting to ditch the resolutions in 2024 and opt-in to trying new things. This will help us find something we truly enjoy and even develop into a hobby before the end of the year comes around. Keep reading for four new things you can try in 2024.
Sports
A fantastic way to get your exercise in throughout 2024 is by engaging in a new sport! Save the commentary that you promise yourself each year when going to the gym becomes your mantra. Evidently, this doesn’t work. This is because, quite frankly, the gym isn’t often the best place to be, nor is it very fun before work or late at night. And who wants their weekends succumbed to lunges and treadmills? Choosing a sport that you enjoy, and you can even do with others is a great way to get your endorphins flowing while simultaneously benefitting your physical and mental health. One sport that people can try in 2024 is Tennis, and you can learn more about Tennis through IPTL World.
Photography
Photography is a flexible hobby. It can take a number of different forms. When “photography” is mentioned, often the association will be with its more arty incarnation. There will be heavy composition, with expert and professional lighting and equipment. The assumption is that there is a low level of accessibility. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Photos taken on a smartphone are perfectly valid. They have as much claim to be art as anything else. Disposable cameras are coveted nowadays because the analogue aesthetics suggest a higher level of authenticity than the more “professional” endeavours. Photography is accessible.
Secondly, photography is an excuse to go and do something, go and think about something. You can go on a walk around local nature spots to find those glinting river pics, a bird taking off, or a bee resting on a flower. You can go to a motorcycle meet and make those machines hitting two-hundred miles per hour around a bend stop still. You can stay in and compose objects, use natural lights, and create atmospheres and moods. You can look at yourself, your partner, your friend, your sibling, or your parent and take candid shots or jazz them up. Photography is as much an excuse to socialise as it is a hobby.
The sociability of photography extends beyond the taking of those photographs to the sharing of them, also. Social media – as much as it’s a mass writing project – is visual. It’s an exchange of images. There are spheres of and communities on each platform which will have a home from whatever photos you feel up to sharing.
Gaming
The amazing thing about gaming is that there is something for absolutely everyone to enjoy. With this, you don’t need to worry about taking the time to find something as there are loads of options. Some options to consider are online casino games such as poker and blackjack, downloadable mobile games, sports betting online, video games, and more generally, gaming on wider gaming platforms such as casino.netbet.co.uk. Gaming is a great way to have fun and share your interests with your friends.
Journaling
Journaling is a great option for those who struggle to stay in touch with their mental health. Some benefits of journaling include: organizing your thoughts and using the platform to work out solutions to any thought problems, improving your writing and reading skills, as well as helping you reflect. Some people have taken journaling to the extreme and started bullet journaling. This is an all-inclusive organisation system that helps you stay on track as you’d schedule to-do lists and reminders. Certainly consider this if you often find your thoughts racing from you and you struggle to stay on track.
Gardening
Gardening is a little different to other hobbies. This one can be accomplished without a garden, but, obviously, there are some limitations with that. However, it’s also performed a different timescale. For instance, it can be a twice-a-week-for-five-minutes type of thing where you just need to water one or two pots, with greater time giving over to complete pruning or remodelling, etc. This way, it can be seen more as a routine, but it shouldn’t be a chore.
Yoga
On the topic of choosing a new thing to benefit your mental wellbeing, yoga is a great option. As well as benefiting your mental health and helping you stay grounded, there are also many other physical benefits for your body. For example, yoga is classed as a more robust form of exercise that takes a lot of practice and commitment to do well. It can be physically challenging as it requires inner strength. With this, you’ll find your physical health and your mental health improving.
Cooking or Baking
Cooking is a hobby to be envious of. It’s one of those everyday things which can bring great joy to yourself and others. Often, everyone knows a little bit about cooking. If not one or two more difficult dishes because a parent or partner taught them then at least the very, very basics: frying onions and baking potatoes.
Improvised cooking – the kind of cooking where you can look in your cupboard and, without working from a recipe, put something together, rather than “throw” something together – is the goal, probably, but it needn’t be. Cooking is as much about taking time, indulging the rituals of preparation, as much as it is about being technically proficient. It can be paired with singing in the kitchen to Abba or listening to the sound of rain. Again, as with others on this list, it’s an excuse to be around people, either through the process of cooking or just to eat.
Ditch the new year resolutions and goals and choose to develop a hobby instead! They are a great excuse to meet and be around people. Everything is worth a try to see us through 2024 and beyond.
