F E AT U R E
GET A HOBBY! More than just a way to fill time after work, hobbies are a healthy way to learn and grow – both personally and professionally. By Vicki Johnson
I
t’s five o’clock. And somewhere, someone is still frantically typing that last email of the day. Or wrapping up that final meeting. Or preparing to work late into the evening because “things just can’t wait until morning.” If the last thing you check before you go to bed at night and the first thing you look at in the morning is your email, then you need a break. “Our society today focuses on always being on the go and the need to be the best and
38
BusinessCentral Magazine.com // M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 2 5
to always succeed,” said CentraCare Family Nurse Practitioner Erika Burggraff. “And what happens is that we become almost fearful of taking a break.” But, as studies have shown, that mentality does more harm than good. In fact, according to research published in the Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine Journal, denying yourself a chance to step away from the daily grind is not only detrimental to yourself, but the
work you are so desperate to accomplish. “It’s been drilled into our brains that the longer we work, the more productive we are,” said Kayla Ward, licensed marriage and family therapist and owner of Doctors Park Mental Health Center. “But that’s just not the case.” According to the 2010 study “Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities with Psychological and Physical Well-Being,” researchers found the pursuit of hobbies or other leisure-type