Skiing into Joy: The Role of Hobbies in our Wellbeing

At 15 years old, I returned home to London from a school skiing trip in Switzerland and earnestly announced my new-found chosen career path:

A ski instructor. 😁⛷️

You must know, I didn’t end up becoming a ski instructor.

But here’s what I had found instead:

❇️ An #extracurricular activity I loved.💛

School skiing trips were a highlight of my life as a #student. It was such a relief to spend time on something that seemed to have nothing to do with my #academicperformance.

And not just for students, I believe a good extra curricular activity is vital to our #wellbeing, #mentalhealth and #performance as #teachers.

But creating space for it can be a big #challenge.

I couldn’t bear to part with the ski gear from my school skiing trips - even the ski gloves.

I put them in a box.

And I said to myself:

"I’ll go skiing again."

The trouble was, I kept saying that, year after year...

Yet this box of ski clothes sat in my cupboard.

Unused.

And every time I decluttted, or moved countries, or moved home…

I would come across that box and get a conflicted pang and tug from inside my heart, saying:

“You need to go skiing."

Well, folks, it has only taken me a couple of decades (!) to take action on that ‘tug'.

I underestimated how much time, energy, resources and general logistics would be involved in taking myself on a skiing trip without the aid of my beloved #teachers from #school.

But I am now thrilled to say:

✅ I just went skiing. 😁✨⛷💃🏻

Everyone is reflecting on massive accomplishments at the moment.

But in this post, I just wanted to spotlight one small, often neglected part of life:

#Hobbies.

And I just wanted to say:

Don’t be like me…

Don’t wait decades to pick up a hobby you love again.

For me, it was that box of ski clothes gathering dust giving me a clue.

For you - maybe there’s a memory from your #school life, or something else around your home beckoning you on…?

Nurturing a good hobby may be one of the oft-missing ingredients to help move us into deep #recovery and #peakperformance at work and life.

I hope you enjoy nurturing a great extra curricular activity in 2023.

Happy new year! ✨

#mentalhealth #teacherwellbeing

P.S. In these photos, the ski gear I am wearing is the same my parents bought me for those school trips at 15! & the cap is from when I studied in Beijing in 2010. They all still worked perfectly. Does this count as a contribution towards #sustainability?♻️🙋🏻‍♀️

📸 The colour photos are from last week: Lake Tahoe. California. 2022. Still beaming that this happened.🥲💛

📸 Swipe to see black and white photos from the last time I went skiing. Alps - 2004. Dutifully following my instructors / them goofing about. My teachers were so much fun, I wanted to be just like them by the end of each week. Hallmark of a great #teacher 💙

#grateful #alhamdullilah

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sumbella_wellbeing-extracurricular-student-activity-7014859460376440832-vnmo