How to Find New Hobbies You Will Love

According to an article published by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) on the importance of senior adults participating in activities, after retirement, seniors are likely to experience feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, anxiety, and life dissatisfaction. See Participating in Activities You Enjoy as You Age. Senior lawyers who have retired from a rich, rewarding, and challenging career, where each day was filled with client and co-worker social interactions, analyzing and solving complex problems, or serving the needs of others, may experience those same feelings. In addition to seeking help from healthcare professionals or life coaches trained to provide care to seniors experiencing these feelings, hobbies are one solution to deal with these feelings.

Seniors who have an active lifestyle that includes hobbies:

1. Have a lower risk of developing certain diseases like dementia, heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer
2. Contribute to feelings of happiness and life satisfaction, which are linked to longer lives
3. Help provide a sense of purpose, which contributes to resiliency and recovery from difficult life experiences and events
4. See improvement in memory and other thinking skills if the hobbies involve stimulating mental activity (such as learning a new language or developing a new skill), physical activity (such as pickleball, yoga, tai chi, or strength training), or creative activities (such as music or dance)

Pausing and reassessing your values and goals in retirement can have positive benefits as well. In How to Reassess Your Life in Retirement, the authors discuss how reassessment can provide clarity and focus, personal growth and course correction, increased levels of joy and satisfaction, and enhanced adaptability. They offer five effective reassessment tips: (1) schedule dedicated time; (2) assess needs realistically; (3) ask introspective questions; (4) set your priorities; and (5) seek external perspectives from trusted friends, mentors, or therapists.

Whether you are tired of existing hobbies or have retired without having hobbies, keep reading. This article provides some resources for you to find new hobbies you will love! For example:

• Participating in Activities You Enjoy as You Age provides a wide variety of suggestions for hobbies depending on your interests. They are grouped by categories, including connecting with family and friends, learning something new, becoming more active in your community, getting outside and moving, and adopting healthy stress-relieving habits.
• AARP. If you are a member of AARP, there are a number of resources available to help you find hobbies. I found topics of interest by searching “finding hobbies in retirement.”

Online searches for “hobbies for seniors” and “books for finding new hobbies” return a number of sources and books for discovering hobbies you will love. A few of the sites are listed below. These sites are offered solely as resources for “ideas for hobbies” and not as endorsements of any of the sites themselves or an indication of preference over other sites. Also, a word of caution: Please be careful with any information you share on any of the sites.

• 31 Hobby Ideas for Seniors. As the title indicates, you can find thirty-one ideas for hobbies at this site.
• The Ultimate Hobby Guide: 50 Hobbies for Seniors. This site lists and categorizes hobbies as Indoor Hobbies, Outdoor Hobbies, Health Boosting Hobbies, Hobbies on Water, Sports Centered Hobbies, Social Hobbies, Hobbies for Couples, Men’s Hobbies, Women’s Hobbies, Online Hobbies and Hobbies to help others.
• The 40 Best Hobbies for Seniors and Retired Adults. This site lists and categorizes hobbies similar to the previous site listed.
• Simple English Wikipedia. It offers a list of indoor, outdoor, collection, competition, and observation hobbies.

As part of my retirement plan, I have included learning a new language and playing the piano, along with participating in sports activities and volunteering at a few of my favorite nonprofits. If I tire of those activities, I will reassess and look for new ones. There are plenty of ideas from which to choose.

Finding new hobbies can regenerate your mind, body, and spirit. I hope you find the ones that you love!