Welcome to my new blog, where I just write about what I talked to my therapist about. LOL Just kidding, but not really.
Recently we were talking about the whole concept of identity and disordered eating. I told her how I’ve felt lost for awhile because for a REALLY long time my whole identity was “the girl that lost 110 pounds.” My therapist asked me about hobbies and I thought for a moment. Hiking, the gym, working out, running, biking, swimming…
You get the gist. That topic definitely came up with my recent injuries. Like, if my ONLY hobbies are physical fitness in some way, and I can’t do that–what do I have?
I’ve struggled with that issue off and on for years. (Since I stopped going to the gym postpartum–I was waiting to resume swimming when my hip was better–I noticed how much more TIME I have on the weekend. I can make FUN plans, and not have my entire day dictated around when I go to the gym.)
In the past, whenever I’d have a running injury and couldn’t run…what do I do? What hobbies do I have? Is there anything I like to do besides work out?
I sat down to make a list.
hobbies
photography – I’ve always enjoyed this and I kind of stopped doing it during the pandemic. Partly because we weren’t going anywhere, and then I got busy.
reading – I am trying to find the time to read. These days I definitely read less simply because I don’t have the time with the new baby. But I will get back at it!
gardening – I want to be a gardener so badly. LOL I just don’t have the best green thumb. But I keep trying. During the covid lockdown, I got into house plants and did pretty well with most of them. It was trial and error finding things I could easily keep alive and that seemed to like our house. I want to have a vegetable garden and a flower garden but the maintenance with a new baby has been difficult.
hiking – I still love it. I wish I could do it, but my hip is not really allowing that right now.
traveling – Again, covid and new baby kind of put a stop to traveling. However, with Zoey getting her first covid vaccine recently, I can start to try and make future plans! The first trip will be to California to visit my brother. It will be a fairly short plane ride, so that will be good for the kids!
wine tasting – Now this is something I can do whether my hip works or not! Ha! But seriously, I do enjoy trying new wines and wineries and finding new favorites. It’s especially nice on a beautiful day when you can pack a picnic lunch!
bread baking – I got into sourdough bread a few years ago and then during covid I finally perfected the recipe and was consistently making really good loafs. I took a break right before I had Zoey but I am ready to pick it up again! And try new recipes!
My therapist said I need to fill my time with hobbies that don’t include dieting. Since I’ve been able to break the habit of counting my calories, it’s like a huge mental load has been lifted. I honestly feel better–I hadn’t realized just how much mental energy and space it was taking up. Planning every meal, counting your calories, logging your calories, entering data into website calculators to figure out calories…it was a lot!
So what are some of your hobbies?
Bea
It’s hard to have hobbies around kids! I do count my exercising as a hobby, but since I got a peloton I have started thinking of it as training more than exercising – training to be strong so I can keep up with my kids! So I have been doing less exercises just to burn calories, but more to try to keep my whole body healthy.
But in other stuff, I love fiber crafts – knitting and quilting mostly, with some dabbling in crochet, spinning, and weaving. I wish I had more time for these hobbies! I really enjoy them. I also like to read and have read some books you recommend so thanks for your reviews. I used to like cooking more, but now with the kids it feels like more of a chore.
Lisa Eirene
You are so right! It’s a lot harder with kids. And in terms of cooking–I remember when Michael I (pre kids) used to spend a lot of time trying new recipes and cooking together. It was a joy. Now it’s like, let’s cook something as quickly as possible and eat as quickly as possible. š
I am so glad you enjoy the book recommendations!