Why does downtime for hobbies seem difficult to find? Maybe you’re struggling to find time to finish that book, complete that crocheting project, or practice your instrument. Or perhaps you’re having trouble finding the time and resources to begin your new hobby. High grades and strong extracurriculars are essential in high school, but honing the crafts you do for yourself are important as well.

According to a study completed by the American Psychiatry Association, most adults who have stable or good mental health also have a creative outlet or hobby. Evidently, the benefits of having a hobby can be far reaching, especially during periods of unrest, as the study confirms.

As a high schooler, managing your time can certainly be a challenge. One of the best things you could do is start small – this looks different for everyone. Making time for yourself even once a week could spark some serious progress on your hobby. Additionally, spending time doing a specific activity for even 2 minutes a day creates a lower bar of achievement, which according to Stanford Medicine, makes habits stick more than they would otherwise.

Additionally, Utah State University (USU) introduces the idea of taking “micro-breaks,” that, in short, are frequent breaks throughout the day. During these breaks, you could do something that you enjoy, such as reading, going for a walk, painting, or anything else that brings you a sense of relaxation.

Angeline Han (10), who enjoys creating jewelry in her free time, emphasizes how “time management and maintaining a healthy balance of work and hobbies are both important skills that people learn over time.” She adds on, “Personally, I try to finish all my work first, then spend my free time making jewelry or working on my other hobbies.” By utilizing spare pockets of time to focus on what she enjoys, she’s found a way to make progress on her projects and improve in the long run.

While starting a new hobby may be a slightly different story, keeping a consistent schedule is key, and setting up how you will learn is what will relieve the initial anxiety. Most importantly, allow yourself to be a beginner and make mistakes; it’s easy to become discouraged, especially when starting out. Elizabeth Horner (10), an avid reader and writer, mentions how you should “just start; if you’re doing it for yourself, it’s clearly something you want to learn about. You’ll always improve.”

Finding time for your hobbies is a skill in itself as well, but going off of Elizabeth and Angeline’s perspectives, it is a skill that will come with practice.