Welcome to the first Sunday of March 2021! I want you to take a moment and realize that the semester is over in approximately 2 months… how crazy! Time is flying and soon you will have your J.D. degree in hand handling cases left and right! Keep that visual in your mind as you study for exams and when you feel stressed out. You have what it takes to become the best Attorney that you can be! Never forget that. This week, I want to talk about something fun and important to all of us: hobbies! I know that when life gets busy, it’s easy to push away our hobbies and get to work, but in reality, we need these hobbies to keep us sane! More specifically, we need them to help us de-stress and enjoy some time for ourselves.
According to Psychreg, an award-winning psychology blog platform, “Research has shown that people with hobbies rarely suffer from stress, depression and low mood and so it is vital for our mental health that we find activities that will get us out, make us feel happier and more relaxed.” (Why Is Having a Hobby Beneficial for Your Mental Health). For me personally, I love artwork and getting a canvas out, my paint brushes all colorful, and get creative! Starting law school, I didn’t give any importance to my art materials. I didn’t even bring them with me when I made the big move from IL to MA. It was only at the end of my second year of law school that I realized I need to brush up on my art skills.
My fiancé was kind enough to buy me a whole art set with hundreds of colors of paint, pastels, and color pencils. It fills me with so much joy every time I open it up. I find myself to be happy in that moment and appreciate life more. While I draw, I think of all the blessings in my life. It allows me to think happy thoughts, look back on life, and how far I’ve come, and I think about where I will go. It’s a time of reflection for me. It truly does allow me to de-stress and live life in the present. I highly recommend you to find a hobby or pick up your hobby even while in law school because it’s as important as studying.
Hobbies can include a variety of activities such as playing an instrument, hiking, playing a sport, going bird watching, writing poetry, reading novels, and the list can go on and on. For your mental health, for your physical health, and for your happiness, I highly recommend you dedicate some time out of your day or week to pursue a hobby of yours. I’m sure you will find a sense of peace from it and attain happiness by spending some time on something you enjoy doing.
A person once said, “When passion meets work, work becomes a hobby.” (Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel). For us law students, we might well have a passion for law and so maybe our work as attorneys will be a hobby. I think that is a blessing.
Do You Think A Person’s Job Can Also Be Their Hobby?
When you are in Flow you are where you are suppose to be doing your life's work. What Is Flow?
ReplyDeleteFlow is a state of mind in which a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. Positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity.
While in this mental state, people are completely involved and focused on what they are doing.
"The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost," Csíkszentmihályi said in an interview with Wired magazine.1
Flow experiences can occur in different ways for different people. It often occurs when you are doing something that you enjoy and in which you are quite skilled.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing such a thought-provoking idea! It makes sense, when you are in the flow of things, you're attentive, engaged, and involved in what you are doing. When a lawyer is in the flow of their work, they're immersed in their work that everything just "flows". I think that's a beautiful concept! Thank you for sharing!
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