Picture this: you are sitting at your desk after a long weekend. The essay that has plagued you for days has been submitted, and your reading for next week prepped; you have brunched, seen friends and your laundry is done. Even your room is spotless, and you are too tired to even consider sending the weekly ‘who’s mashing tn?’ text– but not tired enough to sleep. With nothing on your to-do list and a few hours to yourself, you scroll through Netflix, looking to find something you haven’t yet watched, and a question forms in your mind – where have all your hobbies gone?

Hobies are not just simply a fun way to pass your time. They have been noted to have significant mental health benefits, with a 2019 study finding that having a hobby was linked to lower rates of depression. 

How do hobbies fare in a university environment, among the other commitments that take up a student’s time? To answer this question, I reached out to several students to find out what hobbies allow them to stay grounded in the hectic environment of Cambridge. 

"Having something completely separate from university reminds me that I’m a person"

While University sports and societies seem to be teeming with participants, when it came to individual hobbies – photography, painting, journaling, crochet and solo music – the numbers seem to dwindle. Balancing a challenging workload alongside the admin of daily life and a busy social and society calendar can be tricky, before we even consider adding hobbies into the mix. 

In recent years, concern with mental wellbeing has increasingly come to the forefront of college considerations. As well as designated JCR wellbeing officers, responsible for week 5 pigeonhole gifts and running wellbeing events throughout term, some colleges now employ a Head of Wellbeing as another point of contact for struggling students. The introduction of these wellbeing measures by colleges points to the national trend of  mental health struggles among the student community. A 2022 survey by the mental health charity Student Minds found that 57% of respondents self-reported that they had a mental health issue, while  27% stated that they had been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

While the causes for mental health and wellbeing challenges vary widely, many students find the balancing act of Cambridge to be mentally exhausting. And without outlets for expression, the pressure just keeps building. The creation of third spaces outside of work and socialising can allow students to process their busy life, and escape the pressure through expressive means. 

Ella Shuttleworth, a 3rd year at Murray Edwards College, told me how pursuing several creative hobbies helps her balance the student lifestyle. “Playing guitar gives me a sense of balance! It’s something I can do all on my own and release all stress. I also only play for myself, so I don’t have to worry about it sounding good, it just has to feel good.” Ella said she finds that “having something completely separate from university reminds me that I’m a person, that the world won’t end when I inevitably write a bad supervision essay, and that there is joy and validation beyond the walls of Sidge. It’s grounding.”

"It keeps me occupied and demands some level of focus whilst not being tiring or stressful, which I find really useful for being a break from university life” 

For Senan MacSweeney-Davis, a 2nd year at Gonville and Caius, the discovery of crocheting has had an equally positive impact on his mental wellbeing. Senan finds that “whilst crochet and other more independent hobbies definitely do have an identity and a community surrounding them, for me I find it a calming and soothing thing to collect myself outside of my university and social life. It keeps me occupied and demands some level of focus whilst not being tiring or stressful, which I find really useful for being a break from university life.” 

Senan also noted the social side of his hobby, which allows him to connect with like-minded people and start a conversation: “Even with independent hobbies, there is always an urge to make it a social thing or use it as a conversation topic in a social setting […] but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is such a useful and soothing use of my time.” 

The importance of fostering communities that can offer respite from the academic and society-related pressures seems to be a driving factor behind the creative wellbeing events put on by many colleges. The likes of pottery making and painting seem aimed at fostering an environment in which students can explore creativity in a sociable setting and take a break from work.

While independent hobbies can be challenging to keep up with when a student is being pulled in so many different directions at once, their positive effect on mental wellbeing seems to indicate the importance of creating space for them at Cambridge. In Ella’s words, “I think students feel pressure for even their hobbies to be productive, to be something they can put on their LinkedIn. But having a hobby just for yourself, for your fulfillment reminds you that there’s more to life than grades, job offers and what other people think of you.”