The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives. We hope you can use their post to start a conversation with your adolescent.
One of my biggest coping skills is practicing one of my endless hobbies. Whenever I feel like my feelings are going to swallow me whole, I try to use a hobby to channel that energy. This is where it helps to have multiple hobbies.
Activities like drawing and writing are outlets that are helpful to release your feelings. With drawing and writing, you can directly model your feelings. If you feel angry, active hobbies, such as baseball or basketball, are most useful. Arts and crafts are similar to drawing and writing, but there is a more calming aspect. Especially repetitive ones, like knitting or making bracelets.
Not to mention how the cost to start most of these hobbies is low. You don’t need professional tools, but just some essentials. This also helps to gauge if you like the hobby. When you’re sure you like it, then you can get more expensive, high-quality products. My advice is, try as many unique hobbies as possible until you find one that clicks with you.
My absolute favorite hobby is simply listening to music. There’s music for all types of emotions. I mostly listen to loud and angry music or the genre punk. Using headphones makes it feel like your whole body is being infused with the music’s vibrations. It’s truly an almost meditative routine. The music helps me see that there are adults who have gone through the same things I have, and yet they’re alive, living a successful life.
My central advice is to find a hobby you like. Doesn’t matter how “weird” or unusual it is. If you get one, your mental health will thank you.
What are your child’s favorite hobbies? Do they have different hobbies depending on their mood? How do you support – or how do you think you can support – your child’s hobbies?