(Akiit.com) Mental health is a subject that is dominating news broadcasts and magazine articles. Although we often automatically think about conditions such as depression and anxiety when the topic of mental health comes up, this is an umbrella term, which relates to psychological wellbeing as a whole. You don’t necessarily have to suffer from stress or depression to have an interest in mental health or a desire to do more to protect your wellbeing. In fact, it’s incredibly beneficial for everyone to think more about their mental health. There are numerous self-help techniques that can help you to adopt a more positive mindset and beat the blues, and one avenue that is often recommended is pursuing a hobby. If you’re looking for constructive ways to use your time or you’re keen to spend more time doing things you enjoy, here are just some of the ways having a hobby could benefit you.
Discovering new things
Having a hobby enables you to learn, regardless of your age or your level of education. When you have an interest, and you actively 
pursue it, this can help you discover and learn new things, take on new challenges and enrich your life as a result. Perhaps you have an interest in history, and you’re eager to start a collection of artifacts like fossils from Buried Treasure Fossils, or you’re a keen amateur artist who would benefit from attending evening classes. Maybe you love music but you’ve never got around to learning an instrument, or you’re a budding comedian who wants to hone their skills on a stage. Whatever your interests, taking up a hobby can open you to up to new adventures and experiences and broaden your horizons, as well as expanding your skillset.
Increased confidence
Often, we feel down as a result of a lack of confidence either in the way we look or our abilities to do certain things. Having a hobby can help you increase your self-esteem and show yourself and other people that you can do things if you put your mind to it. Consider the example of learning a new language or an instrument. You may have written off your capabilities before your first lesson, but weeks or months down the line, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.
Social interaction
Loneliness is a very common problem, especially among older people. Even if you’re not lonely, taking up a hobby can enable you to expand your social circle and enjoy interaction with others, which is likely to boost your mood. If you know you’re going to see new friends every Monday or you’ve got a class penciled in for a Wednesday evening, this gives you something to look forward to.
All of us want to be happy. Whether you’re content or you’ve been struggling with stress, depression or anxiety, having a hobby could lift your spirits and help you find a focus and a meaningful, enjoyable way to use your time. It doesn’t matter whether you play the piano, you love painting, you’re a keen angler or you collect cards, fossils or stamps, pursuing your interests could help you to beat the blues.
Staff Writer; Carl Hall