Pursuing Passions Even When Your Busy

This is something only for the past year since the pandemic started that I really tried to make more of an effort on: to make sure you’re pursuing activities and hobbies you are passionate about even when it feels like you don’t have time, and all in all that is to ensure you do not burn out from overworking and stress.

For example, even after a long workday, I enjoy coming home to cook dinner or try out a new recipe to spark some happiness and creativity into my day. Somedays I enjoy working from home and taking part of my lunch break to weed in my garden as well or pick produce. I think this is ultimately a good way to set aside at least one hour daily to devote towards your own happiness and wellbeing.

Oftentimes, when we get overwhelmed and stressed out, all we need is a small break and “me time” in order to revitalize our mental state, so it’s critical we find and pursue things we are passionate about, in order to better care for ourselves.

Here is a scenario from a friend of mine:

They graduated college and got thrown into working full-time at a new job. They also had a side business where they cut lawns a few days a week for spare money. In their free time, they LOVE to go to car shows, hang out with friends, draw, and even work on cars. They had long days at work, so the sudden shift to working full-time, balancing their new schedule, and fitting in everything became too much – that eventually they stopped drawing and working on cars for fun. This made my friend really stressed out and overwhelmed, and they even considered dropping their lawn business entirely. That is where I came in and recommended them to make a big effort to possibly say “no” to 1-2 engagements a week in order to buy back their time to enjoy their passions..which was cars! They took my advice, and now feel a lot more at ease and enjoy their life since they were able to gain back the passions that sparked and fueled their energy!

Please, I highly recommend making the time or finding the time in your schedule to have the ability to pursue what you are passionate about.

What is something that you are passionate about, activity or hobby-wise, that you look forward to each day or week? How do you make sure to prioritize the things you enjoy doing amongst the things that you have to do?