Written by Clara Goeretthie Masawan
Secondary 3, SIS Palembang

Your teenager life begins when you turn thirteen years old. When that happens, you might or might not feel that you are changing – physically, mentally, and emotionally. At this stage, you’ll start getting into one of your many hobbies. You’ll start finding your true passion. But why are hobbies essential?

A hobby is an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure. It brings you joy and self-satisfaction. If you have no hobbies, what are you going to do later in your future? What will you become?

Mostly, teenagers these days love playing video games so much. They would get up early in the morning and go to bed really late. Sure, video games do bring you happiness and a handful of them are educative, but playing video games is not a real hobby. All you do is look at your gadget’s screen and move your fingers for hours and hours.

There are many reasons why you should have hobbies.

Firstly, hobbies make yourself more interesting. You can share your experiences and stories to others. And at a young age, with your knowledge on some particular topics, you can teach anyone who has the same interest as yours.

Next, about one in seven teenagers experience mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. With hobbies, those may be relieved because they keep you engaged in the things you enjoy. They give you a way to relax, take your mind off the stresses and seek pleasure.

Number three, hobbies help you gain new experiences and become more patient. You have to learn how to do something unprecedented to you in order to develop a new hobby. In the process, you’ll need to be really patient to build your skills.

Lastly, it increases your confidence and self-esteem. Any activity that you can excel in is an opportunity for you to build your confidence and develop pride in your accomplishments.

Remember that you are very fortunate to have so many different options out there today.