babe, you need a hobby - ep 1 - a mello guide on finding more joy

in between working for money to survive, trying to take care of yourself, what seems like an endless amount of cleaning, and a government that is COMMITTED to ruining your life, prioritizing joy seems like mission critical right now. in this particular moment, on this floating rock in space, it's essential for our survival to keep the whimsy alive, lean into things we are passionate about and try new things.

and for sure, a babe has her vices (for me those are reality tv, a silly little drink and weed, to name a few) and while those vices bring us joy, it can't be our only source. we are well balanced, we are fed, we are taking care of ourselves and so adding in a fun or challenging hobby is something every mello babe needs.

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10 reasons WHY my bestie (you) needs a hobby

you really only need one reason to get a hobby but I am going to give you 10 instead.

#1 most important reason you need a hobby: minimize doom scrolling

I mean unless you rock a flip phone and/or don't have social media (pop off queen!) you probably could spend a little less time on your phone scrolling. and don't take this as judgement, because babe my screen time is UP there. and i am clearly not a neuroscientst but I think it's pretty clear the our brains are struggle considering the extreme amount of information, marketing, inauthenticty when see everyday. we need a reprieve.

9 more reasons why you need a hobby:

2. exercise for your brain & good for longevity

3. challenge yourself in new ways

4. joy, happiness, the will to live

5. develop a new skill or talent

6. connect with community/new friends

7. reduce stress & assist with emotional regulation

8. personal growth & new experience

9. improves mood & recharges your spirit

10. fosters creativity

According to an article on Harvard Health: "A study published online Sept. 11, 2023, by Nature Medicine suggests that having a hobby is good for your health, mood, and more...Compared with people who didn't have hobbies, those who did reported better health, more happiness, fewer symptoms of depression, and higher life satisfaction. The findings were similar across all countries [in the study: 16 countries including the United States, Japan, China, and a dozen European countries]

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don't already have an idea for a hobby? here are some ideas

sharing my endless list of hobby ideas because unfortunately I know I have to be realistic and pragmatic about not being able to have 10,000 hobbies at once, and I am not the type to gatekeep. so do me a favor and pick one of these so I can live vicarously through you.

I like the idea of having an intention inspire what type of hobby to choose. I think this is the best way to not only make it easier for your hobby to fit in with your daily life, but is sort of the best of both worlds of doing something for fun & but also making it something productive you are adding to your routine. not that productivity is required, because it's not, but an extra bonus doesn't hurt right?

you're in desperate need of more quiet time

reading

meditating

puzzles

hiking

swimming

watercolor

fishing

you're a crafty queen (like me)

crocheting or knitting

beading

needle point

my nostalgic babes

scrapbooking or junk journaling

photography

anything you loved to do when you were 10

need to release some energy

needle-felting (basically stabbing something repeatedly)

something competitive

pickle ball

gardening

looking for a challenge

learning a new language

trying a new sport or movement class

pilates

woodworking

learn to play an instrument

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but how do you actually make time for our hobbies...

since one of my goals for 2026 was to be more consistent with my hobby time, I really had to put in the thought; live and learn and little to figure out how to add this new thing into my schedule when it can feel like I don't even have time for all the other things I have to do. but I know it's possible. and in order to make that happen I encouraged (forced) my family to commit to the same goal. we each picked a hobby to start this year and it's been a gamechanger because it's easier to allocate time away when we are all working on something.

crocheting at drum lessons

reading at gymnastics

crocheting while my hubby dj's (yes, he picked DJing as his hobby, bravo babes know that I only agreed to this hobby if he committed to watching all 10 seasons of summerhouse so he doesnt kyle cooke our marriage)

also crocheting was the my hobby lol

just like with your responsabiltiies, your hobbies are not going to get done without a plan and priorization. but don't worry, that doesn't have to be a whole thing. I have a few helpful tips for making it easier or more possible to integrate hobby time into your daily life.

• add it to your habit tracker

• literally block out time on your planner or calendar

• add it to your routine: 30 minutes before bed, saturday morning after coffee, etc

• body double with a friend (kinda like what i did with my family or join mello hobby hang)

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mello hobby hang

every Tuesday at 4PM PST on LIVE both on Tik Tok & Instagram

I know it's easier to start something new with someone so I thought it would be fun to do a weekly hobby hang.

the plan is...

• bring your hobby (or not)

• and maybe a silly little drink

• and join me for a little low effort hobby hang

and if you can't come this tuesday, no pressure we will be there next tuesday and the tuesday after.