But all of us have a breaking point. At that point, we need to stop for a while and think what is causing stress and how to make life a wonderful experience all over again. Hobbies come into picture at this crucial juncture. Hobbies allow us to relax and pursue our long lost passions. Definition wise, hobby is essentially an activity that someone likes to indulge in during his/her spare time. Different people have different hobbies. It all depends upon particular likes and interests of a person. Hobbies bring mental satisfaction and a sense of rejuvenation.

Indulging in a hobby allows individual to break free from his reality. He can stop worrying about daily chores, office work, family responsibilities etc and just please himself by doing something that gives him immense satisfaction. Pursuing a hobby is all about putting aside all the stress and tension. A stressed person is least likely to perform to his optimum. During such times, it is important to take a break from mundane chores and indulge in an activity that we had always desired but failed to pursue because of various reasons. Hobbies are instrumental in bringing energy back in an individual’s life. Time well spent on pursuing your hobby will lead to a fresh mind and consequently increased focus back on the work.

Worldwide, experts are emphasising on including hobby in stress management techniques. Stressed people are encouraged to pursue their favourite activities. There are plenty of such activities that one can choose from depending upon his features, interests, characteristics and personality. Someone would like to go for indoor activities or some others are more excited about outdoor ventures. Those with artistic bend of mind can always go for painting, sculpting or writing. Those who seek adrenaline rush can opt for scuba diving, sky diving, bungee jumping etc. Similarly, a person can have several hobbies depending upon his moods. But the crucial aspect is to have a hobby that can play a significant role in removing stress.

No matter, what hobby you pursue, the end result is same, i.e. gaining great pleasure and satisfaction. What also works in favour of practising a hobby is that, it has no deadlines, no rules and no pressure to perform. Spend as much time as you want. No one is going to talk about the end result. All you have to do is to please yourself. Hobbies offer other benefits as well. One can develop new skills and discover hitherto, unknown talents. Individuals can expand their horizons, make new contacts, develop relationships etc and get the most out of life.

Using a simple language for writing helps us to connect things better. Writing essays are again a constant stage of self improvement. The language of English is very interesting with new vocabulary filling our minds. It is important to understand the grammar part well and also follow a proper flow of thoughts. It is not important to use terminologies except if the essay demands the same.

Writing poems can be in many ways. Rhyming poems are interesting and maintaining a book of poems is quite handy. One can use the same poem to express feelings or also to narrate a subject. The gift of writing is surely special as one can make their own poems or writings as a gift to be presented to close associates.

Constant writing improves our own channel of thoughts as we able to express better. Writing short stories or read aloud story for children are a special art. While writing for children the language must be simple. The sentences need to be short with lot of punctuations. Children take pleasure in reading moral stories or stories which are didactic in nature.

Writing for education or freelance writing is a different level which involves research on the subject matter as well as communicating in a simple form. Giving information by writing is also an art. The matter must elucidate and highlight facts. Fiction writing includes a lot of drama and interest provoking chapters are essential to keep the reader interest.

Writing is actually a translation of ideas. The more we write new thoughts form in our minds and we are able to express. Making interesting anecdotes and adhering to the lingua necessities required for fashion or academics is important for this field.

A pencil art requires you to work with a range of different shades of pencils to create a desired effect in the sketch. Pencil drawings are all about making creative marks on paper. Pencil drawing is the art achieved through the effective and precise use of pencil.

This hobby is vast and includes Based on the tool: Human Face sketching, human body sketching, landscape sketching, object sketching and abstract sketching. These sketches are done using different strokes. These variable strokes can be created by either lifting the pencil, or putting pressure on it. This will create the desired shade. It is important to use a particular side-to-side motion by moving the pencil back and forth on the same area if one wants to have an even shading effect. Fine circular shading is another unique type of shading one can use. Care should be taken that one does not smudge the paper while drawing a sketch.

Pencil sketches require keen observation and good drawing skills. This is a delicate medium to work with. The pencils that are needed for a typical sketch are: HB, 2B, 4B and 6B. HB is the usual pencil that most of us use. 2B, 4B and 6B are pencils that get darker as the number increases i.e. 6B is the darkest pencil that is used for dark strokes.  Pencil art is surely a beautiful medium and can be a very satisfying hobby.

Though with the rapid advancement of science, we are now more aware about stars, sky and universal science facts yet there are many more things that have yet to reveal their secrets. It will take some time before humans will be really able to unlock all the mysteries of dark heavens.

Talking about star gazing, it is a fascinating experience for both amateurs as well as experienced star gazers. Looking at stars and sky, you will know about planets, shooting stars, constellations, meteor showers and many such things. Many experienced star gazers use guiding or referencing materials to locate constellations. You can use planisphere that shows the sky at various hours of the day and night. The stars and constellation appear on schedule and that way it will be easy for you to locate them.

Having a telescope will make hobby of star gazing much more fulfilling. To get the best view of the night sky, choose a cloudless and clear night. You can see constellations like Big Dipper or Ursa Minor. You can easily locate North Star. This is a wonderful hobby during the summer when sky is clearer and with your telescope, you can hunt down the stars.

While playing chess, you cannot just enjoy it as a hobby but can also learn the art of 360 degree thinking. You can solve the problem thinking about all the opportunities available to him. Chess is known to increase focus and concentration level. Parents should encourage their child to play chess with someone who already knows to play the game and do not let it lose just because he or she is a kid. Chess is a game that helps to develop patience because it demands slow strategic thinking. It also encourages you to pay attention for longer span of time.

Chess as a hobby can give you great mental satisfaction even if you are thinking how to kill your opponent. Chess is one game that can develop into a great hobby. There may be many of us who may not be well versed with the game but there is always a beginning. You can always read up on the game and ask someone to help you. You can also enroll for chess classes and training that take place at gymkhanas and sports clubs. It is slowly and steadily how your interest will develop in this wonderful game.

 What you can do is just put a coat or jacket if it’s cold, tennis shoes and a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes and head outdoors to look for your favorite birds. You can also have a pen and paper to pour out your observations. Take a binocular and relevant bird guide to further make your experience enjoyable. It’s a fun activity to find and watch birds closely.

 Many smart bird watchers offer feeders or create bird houses to have a better look at birds. If you love hiking then head towards the woods to experience activities of bird in their natural habitats. Binoculars will come handy if birds are perched high in a tree top. Bird guide will help you in identifying species that you can pen down in your diary along with date, location and time. Those having camera or digicam can always click some lovely pictures of these innocuous species. If you are a member of a bird watching club then you can share these snaps with your club mates who will be delighted with your collection.

While you go out to look for birds make sure you don’t make any noise else birds will be scared. Slowly build up your knowledge about types of birds and their habits. Bird watching is a fun as well as pleasurable hobby that will enthrall not only you but also your family members and friends.

: Image courtesy perrihouse.com

Once all the air bubbles are out, you can set the container aside to harden. Now what happens is that this material cannot sustain on its own. The concrete is not easy to handle directly. To control the shape, it usually needs some kind of form or structure. You can caste it into a form and then remove the form or professional artists get a solid block carved which can be then removed.  Any medium requires one to be observant and patient so that you can learn effectively. Sculpture artists also develop this skill over a period of time. After you know enough about the medium, you can experiment with the shapes and the form and even paint your sculptures! Sculpture art is very well developed in India. So do use this medium and enjoy this fascinating journey of art and creativity!

Use you own group and connections to spread awareness on save water campaigns or understand the growing concern of poverty in your locality. Organize a wall painting competition in conjunction with the BMC and get people enjoy the painting. Donate your linen, clothes or children’s toys and spend a Sunday at the orphanage. Mingle with complete strangers and just give them a patient ear at all things.

Social work or NGO is not an easy job but very fulfilling by nature. Spend time bonding with people at a home or old age home so that they are able to express to you. Use your own talents in academics or accounts to help out the club or association finalize their yearly books. Take a drive to the nearby slum and educate to them the importance of voting or keeping their surroundings clean. They have minimal access to simple privileges like ration shops, Identity card or also municipal schools.

Use fun ideas to mingle with social work. Teach kid’s origami or organize a sandwich party in a minimum group of underprivileged children. A trip to the spastic school does wonders to our knowledge. Gain the experience of the culture in these schools and volunteer during the sports or cultural festival. If you think you love fine arts then organize a meet of fine artists in your locality at the nearby charitable club.

There is a growing need for educated or retired people to come together and understand the expectations of people under the poverty line. Empower them with a bit of academics or get them interested in learning new talents or skills required for small scale industries. Social work as a hobby is a great privilege and a humbling experience.

 Thanks to the increasing usage and popularity of internet, people are able to search many things that were previously considered difficult. Genealogy is one such thing. Youngsters love to adopt genealogy as a strong hobby. On one hand, it makes them aware of their family lineage and at the same time, it works as a fascinating and unique hobby. Creating a genealogy journal today can prove to be immensely helpful for our future generations who would not have to go through the trouble of finding ancestral answers.

 Now that you have decided to start a genealogy journal, you can begin by asking questions from old family members and filling the answers in the sheet. It will also help you in re-establishing close ties with old members of the family. First of all, make a list of questions that you will be asking. Make sure, you have a proper format of questions and answers. Questions could include basic information about family, occupations, number of siblings, names of each one of them and other details like aunts, uncles, grandfathers etc.

 Furthermore, you can ask questions pertaining to weddings, specific memories, memorable stories, family traditions, recipes, any lost tradition, facts about ancestors, immigration, family legends, jobs and careers etc. You can see, there is a wide range of questions and topics that you can cover. This will be definitely one of the most fulfilling hobbies that can also make a person go back to his roots.

Belly dancing is not just about particular set of moves. It has several types and all of them are equally fascinating. It is a wonderful mode of artistic expression. Established belly dancers often choreograph their own moves. One immensely exotic form of belly dancing is handkerchief dance. Veil belly dancing is another wonderful form of dance. In the handkerchief chance, a large handkerchief is used to wrap around the dancer. The moves are very much mysterious and exotic.

Belly dancing had a different original form but like other forms of art, it has also changed to suit the changing tastes of people. Now it has become a modern form of art from a more traditional one. In its full glory, belly dancing is a creative and colorful form of dance. Dress combination like costume, headdress, veil and even some finger cymbals make it even more captivating to watch. Many a times, the costumes are covered with sequins or pearls. But all the moves of belly dancing will remain incomplete without the striking music playing in the background. No doubt, belly dancing is a wonderful hobby and one can proudly flaunt it as well.