COLUMN: It's time to make time for the things you enjoy the most of in life

Some of us don’t fully enjoy the things that we used to, particularly when we were children. We often here, “I don’t enjoy that anymore, not as much as I used to”.

No matter how much people try to rekindle their love for something, it does not seem to materialise.

I would suggest that there is a loss of something in your life in this case.

I would suggest that you have not lost the love for your hobby, as you attempt to try it again, however it is possible that you have neglected parts of yourself and made sacrifices for things that may have been more important at that time.

Maybe it’s a case that the hobby you loved became unhealthy for you and in this case it was a good decision. Yet, you still have a longing to try it again and you believe it is the source of your true happiness.

If you feel like you are being held back from enjoying the things you love than it may be time to re-evaluate. It is time to take your power back and start making the time for the things you enjoy the most of in life. Life is to be enjoyed and not endured.

You may not be in a position to devote all of your time to your hobby due to work and family commitments however you can find at least a half an hour in the day for something you truly love and something you are really passionate about.

If you do happen to encounter hurdles – for example a person in your life may not like the re-ignition of your passions, you need to stick to your guns and remember why you are doing this. Remember the joy this hobby allowed in your life. It may be a childhood hobby that you loved. Maybe it’s a hobby that you feel you may not be “good at” but yet it brings you happiness.

It is not about being “good” at something, as “being good” should be completely subjective to each individual. A painting that you feel is not good may be the most beautiful and magical thing that someone else sets their eyes on.

Challenge your inner critic. When I was in primary school there was a reward system using gold stars.

If you got a star on your copybook it meant that you were a great student and if you didn’t get a star, you were not as good as the other students who had received a star.

This was the opinion of the teacher and it even applied to art projects. I would argue that reward and validation systems like this are detrimental children’s confidence and can have long lasting effects.

I particularly remember a school project I was deeply passionate about. The project was on a topic of our choice so I chose to do the project about the dog breed, the King Charles.

I thought I had done a tremendous job however my teacher did not think so and did not award me a star. It completely shattered my confidence.

Luckily, I have loving parents and they were supportive and told me that my project was fantastic and I should not worry about the teacher’s rewarding system.

However, I still remember the project vividly, down to the colours I used and the pictures of the dogs. It was my love for animals coming through.

Maybe I could have been a vet because of my love for dogs and animals but because my teacher thought my project was “sloppy” it had a detrimental impact on my confidence as a child.

I think this reward system in schools is wrong and what one teacher thinks is great another may tell the student it is not so good.

Don’t let hurdles like this get in your way in aspiring to be an artist, musician, runner, walker or poet. If I could suggest an exercise – try to memorise something from your childhood that you really enjoyed doing that you don’t do anymore. Don’t think about the moment it stopped as hard as that may be.

I am aware there may be traumatic associations with the activity.

Take five minutes out of your day today, close your eyes and relive the experience of when you enjoyed the activity most. Place yourself fully in that moment and relive the joy you experienced. Block out external influences and reconnect with that child within that you may have lost touch with.

The feeling of joy you will have afterward will not only allow you to rekindle the relationship with your hobby but may encourage you in taking the first steps in, for example, buying a set of crayons and a colouring book.

Allow yourself to do that. Some of us are restricted by the adult mentality ie. Crayons and colouring books are only for children.

Remember you were once a child and that child inside you still needs to be nurtured. I am acutely aware that the reasoning behind the dismissal of such hobbies is that it brings up old hurt. Maybe it is the critical teacher or parent looking over your shoulder telling you you’re not good enough.

I am also aware that it is easier said than done to just block that critic out. Once you take the first step, schedule your hobby and start, it will not be as bad as you think. You will connect with the innocent child within and it will be a beautiful and joyful experience.

If one hobby in particular doesn’t spring to mind, I would like to suggest that you try mindful colouring. There are many books on mindful colouring available online or in your local bookstore.

Most of us coloured at some point in our lives and for many of us it was when we were children.

The exercise will help you to ground yourself, be more aware and most importantly help you in connecting with your true nature.

You will be surprised with yourself in what you can accomplish. Your imagination will reactivate with this exercise and you will experience joy once again.

Twitter: @cathaloreilly17