Hobbies on Hobbies on Hobbies
As I have stated numerous times on this blog I have a lot of hobbies. This is a problem that a lot of people with ADHD have because we get super excited about something, buy the stuff to do it, get started, and then the next awesome hobby comes along. It is a constant cycle that I have finally learned to just ride instead of trying to stop.
What this means is that I don’t get rid of hobby supplies when I stop being interested in the hobby… because it will come back around and I will regret getting rid of it. This also helps with the ADHD tax of spending money on a thing only to get bored and get rid of them.
By allowing the cycle of hobbies to guide me I don’t feel the immense guilt I used to feel when I would stop doing a hobby. I am able to put the hobby supplies away and start the next hobby with a clear mind. This also gives me a great depth of options when I start to get bored with a hobby.
My current menu of hobbies is:
- making puppets
- sewing
- painting miniatures
- playing the uke
- learning the banjo
- writing
- drawing
- synths
I am guessing that there are more hobbies in my cycle that I am forgetting. The handiest thing about the cycle is that I don’t limit when I can jump hobbies. I can spend a couple days painting minis, then pick up my uke for a mini jam session, and then go right back to painting minis.
As will most things in my life I am a jack of all trades and a master of none. Which sometimes bothers me. I know people who are experts in their fields and it is impressive to watch them work. I always dream of being an expert in something, but as I have gotten older I have realized the strengths that my multiple hobbies have given me when I need to learn something new.
I hope this helps people like me, with ADHD and too many hobbies, come to grips with how they can manage the cycle of hobbies without feeling shame that your interests are changing again.