Anita Ojeda 
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Want to improve your academic self-care quotient? Try a hobby! Leisure-time activities improve our academics.
Do You Need to Improve Your Academic Self-Care?
I gripped the handlebars and stood up, shifting my weight back to prevent the back tire from spinning out on the loose rocks as I reached the top of the hill.
“You cleaned it!” one of the students called out, “I had to push my bike up the last part.”
I smiled, too out of breath to respond. Glancing down at my bicycle, I noticed something for the first time. The manufacturer had imprinted an infinite sentence on the part of the bike where the headset meets the stem: All work and no play is no fun at (if read in a circle, the sentence reads, ‘All work and no play is not fun at all.’).
Not everyone considers huffing up narrow single-track and across narrow cliffs with a group of students in tow ‘fun.’ But we do. My husband and I have taken countless students mountain biking in the past ten years. It never seems like work. Instead, we consider it play. A hobby we love and love to share with students.
I used to joke about how exercise and having fun would make the kids smarter. Now research backs up my claims. Physical activities and hobbies both improve our ability to learn. This makes mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, running, skiing, and other active leisure-time activities extra potent at improving your academic self-care.
If you prefer less active hobbies, never fear. ANY hobby will help improve your academic self-care. Listen to today’s podcast to find out why.
I’d love to hear from you! Have you discovered a hobby that makes you feel smarter or clears your head for deep work better than others?
Show Notes
You can check out the article in The Arts in Psychotherapy here.
For more on the importance of art education, click here.
You can find J. S. Catterall’s study here.
Want to learn more about project-based leisure-time activities? Click here.
Check out the connection between art activities and critical thinking here.
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I’m thankful photography counts in creativity!
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Right?! It’s my go-to hobby!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Why I Didn’t Like John Grisham’s Latest Book
I enjoy walking beside the waterfront & bushland, if that can be be counted as a hobby, it not only helps with the pain of FM but also with clearing Fibrofog (mind malaise)!
Love this series you’re doing Anita.
Blessings, Jennifer
Tea With Jennifer recently posted…How to celebrate Life in the ordinary!
Walking is one of my favorite hobbies! It pairs nicely with photography and birdwatching ;).
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Why I Didn’t Like John Grisham’s Latest Book
Oh I love this topic so much, Anita. Play is so important for us at all stages of life and I think many of us forget that. But we also tend to forget what can be classified as play, like physical activities, and that it is all self care. Thanks for always sharing such valuable topics!
Shelbee
Aww, thank you for your affirmation, Shelbee! It’s very easy to get inside my head and forget to break my routines and just have fun!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Find Love in the West with this Sweet, Historical Romance
Anita, wonderful – I love all these points. Yes play is so important. My husband and I love biking too. My other hobbies include sewing gifts, baking at holidays, and sometimes painting. And I love reading!!!
Where are your favorite places to bike? Pedro prefers technical and slightly dangerous ;). I’ll ride anywhere, but I’m not quite as in love with technical and slightly dangerous! I walk those parts ;).
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Why I Didn’t Like John Grisham’s Latest Book
Yes, hobbies can be so important in clearing your mind. For me, going for a walk or playing the piano are things that I find helpful.
Now that I’m older, I wish I would have paid more attention in piano lessons and practiced more!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Why I Didn’t Like John Grisham’s Latest Book
It’s a shame artistic activities are often minimized as frivolous. I never realized my doodles were productive!
Debbie Wilson recently posted…Why Standard Poodles Are the Best!
Right? Arts are usually the first programs to go in schools when they want to slash the budget.
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Why I Didn’t Like John Grisham’s Latest Book
It’s always amazing to me how refreshed I feel after being outdoors doing something I don’t often do. And if there’s a camera in my hand? Even more so.
Great information, Anita!
You and I need to spend a weekend walking around with our cameras again! It’s been so long since that FMF get-together!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Why I Didn’t Like John Grisham’s Latest Book
I can relate to the exhilaration of mountain biking and the joy of sharing it with others. It’s fascinating how hobbies can enhance our academic self-care. Personally, writing has been my outlet for deep work and clarity of thought. It allows me to explore ideas and express myself. What hobbies have you found to be beneficial?