I’m learning how to cook.
I know that sounds like a weird thing to say. I mean, I’m 36, shouldn’t I already know how to cook?
But the truth is, I really don’t. And that’s a little embarrassing for me to admit.
Sure, I can assemble. I make a killer guac and egg mayo. I can make scrambled eggs. I can throw together pasta using pre-made ingredients.
But I don’t know how to properly cook cook.
Like, steak? Forget about it.
Roast chicken? Absolutely no fucking clue.
I put it down to the fact that when I lived London and was working in a toxic job, the last thing I had time for was cooking.
And it wasn’t that I was incapable of learning, I was just never in the right headspace.
Like I had zero patience for it.
It just felt like another arduous task to get through at the end of an already busy day.
When I got home from work, I’d be tired, hangry, mentally drained, and the idea of spending an hour chopping vegetables and figuring out what the hell I was doing in the kitchen just didn’t feel worth it.
So I got very good at putting together girl dinners, ordering Domino’s and finding ways to eat without actually having to cook.
But now that I’m well into my thirties, things have started to change.
I have more space in my life now. And with that space, I’ve started doing things I used to think were boring, pointless or a waste of time.
These hobbies help me unwind when I need it most, remind me I have a life outside my laptop, and heal from burnout.
P.S. If you’re new here, hey! I’m Thalia. I help 30-something girlies beat burnout and unf*ck their life. Every week(ish) I share content on burnout recovery, career growth, and navigating life in your thirties. Subscribe here so you never miss a debrief.
Why hobbies are a must for every 30-something girlie
For most of my twenties, I didn’t really have any hobbies.
Unless you count getting drunk, partying, and nursing hangovers in bed while watching Netflix all weekend.
Sure, they sound fun in the moment, but they left me feeling completely empty, lost, and unfulfilled by Sunday night.
Now that I’m in my thirties and well past those crazy partying days, my hobbies look completely different. And they’re honestly one of the biggest reasons I feel more like myself than I have in years.
They give me space to be me whether that’s slow and intentional or messy and imperfect.
Hobbies aren’t just a nice way to fill your evenings.
They give you something scrolling never will. Like a sense of purpose, room for self-reflection, and the kind of quiet personal growth you don’t get from living vicariously through others online.
That’s why I keep making time for hobbies, because they allow me to:
- Switch off from work without needing a screen
- Give my brain a proper rest
- Reconnect with what I actually enjoy (not just what’s productive)
- Feel like myself
- Regulate my nervous system without trying
- Doom scroll less because my hands are busy
- Sleep better because I’m not wired at bedtime
- Remind me of what fun feels like
The hobbies I’m building in my 30s
I can’t explain how satisfying it is to do something that has absolutely nothing to do with my career whatsoever.
Because if you’ve been reading my blog for at least a day, you’ll know that I’m not the type of girlie to turn every single thing I do into something productive.
I just wanna have fun.
And these five hobbies allow me to do just that.
P.S. I encourage you to save this post (like now!!) so you can come back to it whenever you need to.
Jigsaw puzzles
I’m an absolute sucker for a jigsaw puzzle and will, without fail, do one every night before bed to unwind.
I don’t know what it is but I just love the satisfaction of connecting the pieces together. Okay, that sounds way more profound then intended, but doing jigsaws or any other type of puzzle (sudoku, crossword, etc.) is ridiculously good for the brain and releases a lot of dopamine. (The good kind, not the bad kind like you get from someone liking your Instagram post.)
The crazy thing is I stopped myself from doing puzzles for ages. It’d tell myself that they were a waste of time, and completely pointless, because let’s face it they really have nothing to do with the work I do.
But right now I can’t stop and I won’t stop.
And as if I’ve just set myself the goal of taking part in the World Jigsaw Championship next year. So niche I know, but I’ve still never met anyone who’s as good at them as me.
Wish me luck!!
Cooking
Not cooking up business ideas, but actual cooking. Lol. Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.
Anyway I’ve always loved baking. Cooking not so much. Mainly because with baking you can take as much time as you want to prepare. It doesn’t need to be ready in 30 minutes so you can eat straight away.
It’s slow and intentional.
Which I guess is why I was always so scared to learn how to cook. I didn’t want to deal with the pressure of cooking. Especially as I’m very prone to burnout. I mean, I’m sure chef burnout is a thing.
So I decided to approach cooking in the same way as I do baking and I’ve gotta tell you, it’s been extremely therapeutic.
Now, instead of seeing cooking as a means to eat asap and fuel my body, I’m seeing it as a process. A ritual.
When I’m chopping vegetables for 30 minutes (I’m the slowest chopper in the world fyi), I’m not thinking about the 47 things I should be doing instead. I put music on in the background (usually chilled jazz or Olivia Dean), take my time, mess around with whatever ingredients I have and see what happens.
And I’m actually enjoying it. Like really enjoying.
Because isn’t that the whole point of hobbies? For them to be enjoyable and not feel like another chore?
Braiding my hair
Does this count as a hobby?
I mean I guess so. It gets me away from a screen. It requires both hands so I’m not doomscrolling. And it gives me something to focus on that has absolutely nothing to do with work.
I have pretty thin hair so it literally gets greasy the day after I’ve washed it. I try not to wash it every day so on non-hair wash days I wanna be able to do something cute with my hair but also simple.
Enter braiding. Also sorry if I’ve just bored you with my hair history.
Anyway, I’ve always had a desire to learn how to french plait my hair. Yes, learn. Because as with cooking, I’ve got to 36 years of age and don’t know how to do the most basic of things.
So this summer I’m trying to be more adventurous with how I do my hair so it’s not always down or in a greasy bun and I’ve been watching YouTube videos to help me get crack the art of braiding.
And we’re calling it a hobby because it’s really not as simple as it looks and I’ve been at it for weeks.
Swimming
The OG of all my hobbies, swimming has always been something I love to do.
Even if I’m in an indoor pool and doing lengths. I’m obsessed with being in the water and feeling my body glide through it. It’s probably the only time in the day where I’m most elegant.
Anyway, I swim mostly in the morning (in the sea of course) and it helps me start the day. The cold water wakes up my body and my mind and after a 45 minute session, I already feel accomplished.
Like if shit started to hit the fan during the day and nothing went to plan, at least I managed to swim.
Actually even when I lived in London, I used to go to the local sports centre just so I could swim. (Told ya, I’m also a girlie who loves lengths). I found that it was the only workout I enjoyed. Running was too much of a punishment. Spin felt like a chore. Yoga was too soft.
But swimming was different. It became my meditation.
Learning Greek
I’m half Greek, but growing up, I never actually learnt the language properly for a whole bunch of reasons.
My dad worked away a lot, I grew up in the UK surrounded by English, and by the time I was old enough to want to learn, I was way too self-conscious to actually try. Whenever we’d visit family in Greece, I’d just nod along politely and let my dad translate.
Fast forward to now, and I’m splitting my time between Greece and other bases, so it finally clicked that if I don’t do it now, I never will.
I’m using Duolingo mostly which is actually really fun, and picking up words from family as I go along.
It’s also using a completely different part of my brain from work, which is a huge part of why it feels so grounding and relaxing.
How to start your own hobbies (even if you’re burnt out)
1 | Get clear on your core values
I can totally sit here and tell you to choose a hobby that interests you.
Like reading… who doesn’t love reading? Sounds easy enough right?!
But interest alone is often why hobbies fizzle out after a few weeks. The ones that actually stick tend to connect to something deeper, like a value you hold.
If you love hiking, it might not just be about being outside, it might be about freedom, or health, or headspace away from a screen.
Now flip that. Say you pick up pottery because it looks calming on Instagram, but what you actually value is connection and being around people. A few weeks in, sitting alone at a wheel starts to feel like a chore instead of something you look forward to because it’s not giving you what you actually need.
Knowing that difference is what tells you whether to stick it out on a hard week, or let it go without guilt.
So before committing to a random hobby that’ll be on the back burner in two weeks, reconnect with what actually lights you up first.
Action steps
- Reflect on your most rewarding, satisfying and fulfilling moments
- Identify the values that were present within these moments and write them down
- Continue to add to your list until you have 10-15 values that deeply resonate with you
- Narrow down your master list to just 5 core values
- Use this workbook to help you apply your values IRL
2 | Stop choosing hobbies you think you should have
Right now knitting, gardening, and painting are some extremely popular hobbies on Instagram.
And it’s hard to not be tempted by them when the aesthetics look so good.
But these are hobbies I’m actively choosing not to build. Why? Because a) they don’t fit in with my lifestyle (aka I don’t have the right resources to start them), and b) I’d be doing them purely because I’ve been influenced into it.
And that’s the trap.
Picking a hobby because you’ve seen it on Instagram is a fast way to end up doing something you don’t actually enjoy. Because you’re not really doing it for you, you’re doing it because it looks nice, or because an influencer you follow made it look easy, or because it feels like something you should be into at your age.
But when the novelty wears off (and it will), you’ll be left with a half-knitted scarf, a dying basil plant, and yet another hobby that didn’t stick.
So before you commit to anything, ask yourself: would I still want to do this if no one saw me doing it?
If the answer’s no, then step away from the cookie jar.
Action steps
- Cross-check the hobbies you’re tempted by against your core values
- Be honest about which ones actually align and which ones just look good online
- Let go of the ones that don’t fit, guilt-free
- Save your energy for the hobbies that match who you actually are
- Come back to your values whenever you feel pulled toward something new
3 | Treat it like a non-negotiable
Here’s the annoying truth about hobbies: they don’t happen by accident.
You can pick the perfect one, buy all the stuff, and hype yourself up about it, but if you don’t actually put it in your calendar, it’ll just get pushed aside by work, admin, or another evening spent scrolling.
Trust me, I’ve been there.
Nothing sticks unless you actually make time for it.
So pick a day, pick a time, and treat it like any other commitment. Aka schedule it into your calendar. You’re way more likely to do it that way. Don’t just say “I’ll do it if I have time” because we all know that never happens.
Action steps
- Pick one hobby you actually want to commit to
- Choose a specific day and time to do it each week
- Add it to your calendar like any other appointment
- Leave everything you need out where you can see it
- Start small — even 20 minutes counts
Final thoughts
I don’t know when it happened exactly but hobbies stopped being for fun and started being for the algorithm.
Everything has to be filmed, styled, or turned into content nowadays.
Knitting isn’t just knitting anymore, it’s a reel with lo-fi music over the top. Baking isn’t baking anymore, it’s a step-by-step reel with a hook in the first three seconds. Even reading has become a whole aesthetic, with your book propped up next to your matcha for the perfect flat lay.
And yeah, sometimes it’s cute. But it’s also taken the joy out of doing something just for the sake of it.
Your hobby doesn’t have to earn its keep. It doesn’t need to make you money, make you fitter, or make you look interesting online.
It just needs to feel good.
So let it be messy. Let it be imperfect. Let it be the thing nobody else knows you do.
That’s usually where the real fun is.
You’ve got this.
Thalia xx
