Why It’s Important to Rediscover Old Childhood Hobbies as an Adult

It sucks getting old. For one, your body isn’t as flexible as it used to be. Once you hit 30, your back and knees complain a lot more. There’s the gray hair. You probably have different responsibilities and obligations in contrast to when you’re 20s or even as a teenager. You could lose sight of the past times you used to love like a sport or hobby just because life gets too busy.

I found myself in the same boat this past year, especially all the crap that 2020 entailed. To combat the stressors from 2020 and things in general, I turned to rediscover hobbies that I used to enjoy. It wasn’t as simple as waking up one morning and bed, declaring, “I think I’ll start taking pictures today!” I did buy a used camera on eBay after a lot of research a couple of weeks later, but my point is I didn’t begin something impulsively. I’ve had similar thoughts along with the lines of, “I should take a creative writing class,” or, “I need to figure out what is passive income.” A lot of these urges and ideas have come from my desire to rediscover and rekindle old interests.

As a teenager, I considered myself a creative type. I was terrible with my math and science classes, however, I did really well in history and English classes. Naturally, my interest gravitated there. First, it was writing withdrawing coming into second. I knew I was no Picasso but having something to work on and work towards was a nice change of pace. But writing gave me an outlet like nothing else could.

I always felt like I have struggled with putting exactly how I felt or saw the world for others to understand. I wrote my first “real” story when I was 11, and I never felt well-spoken, I didn’t like public speaking until I worked in restaurants, and I was self-conscious about everything. Writing gave me the building blocks to start to articulate exactly how I felt and saw the world. I would venture out, learning graphic design, doodling, and sketching. When smartphones finally got a decent camera and Instagram came to life in 2012, photography became a game-changer. Writing remained my forte but having the ability to branch out and try new modes of expression.

Back to the present. Now, I’m heading towards my mid-thirties, still dealing with ongoing issues with covid and the reckoning of 2020 that is forcing me to work through some personal and larger issues. Probably like a lot of people, my anxiety and depression got worse, it was hard to find something positive or routine from the initial lockdown or keeping a limited social life.

It was hard to find the good and have something to look forward to. Cue rediscovering my childhood hobbies earlier this year. I begin to revisit the old notebooks I wrote in during high school. I found my old sketchbook from 1999. I found more notebooks and worked my way through over 20 years of creative endeavors. 

I rediscovered why I used to write a poem or doodle just for the fun of it. It was because I could. The act of creation gave me a way to express whatever I was feeling at the moment and give substance to it. The ongoing act of continuing to write a little each day and learn a new graphics program on my iPad feeds my adult self with the same wonder and satisfaction I felt at 17 after working on a long poem for a month.

It doesn’t take much but taking the time to do small things, like writing 20 minutes a day or finding another creative outlet, gives me something to look forward to and helps build a daily routine. It allows me to rediscover the things that made me happy as a child and grow those same passions as an adult. Rekindling the same hobbies that excited you 20 years ago can grow and evolve 20 years later.

Also published on Medium.