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Do people actually like doing hobbies etc., or is it all for show?

BeaE

I have tried various hobbies over the years, but it always just feels like I'm filling time, or forcing myself into doing things that society approves of. I've not actually liked doing any of the things.

The tiredness or anxiety caused by hobbies and 'fun' pursuits just doesn't seem worth it. Quiet crafty hobbies or reading generally just feel like filling time, and then I feel bad for not being out and about, or bad for not finishing a project I've bought things for and not finished (or even started...)

For as long as I can remember, I've devoted most of my energy to work or study. Maybe this is why hobbies are less appealing to me - 'living to work' not 'working to live' and all that.

I'm wondering if other people feel like this too, or if you actually have found things that are enjoyable and fulfilling? If I just keep trying with a hobby, will enjoyment for it arise at some point? Maybe I just don't know I'm enjoying things, like alexithymia? 

Any input would be great please, just trying to figure this out!

Parents

  • I worked in a field I was fascinated by - biomedical research - but I have never lived to work, even though I found work rewarding. I have always had two strings to my bow, biology and history. So even while I was working at one, the other gave me an alternative outlet and interest. Now I write Wikipedia articles (40 novel ones, so far, and I have rewritten and extended many more), mostly on historical subjects. I have also had historical articles published in online and print journals. I have also always read and enjoyed fiction, I think it has allowed me to explore how people work in a way that my autism has impeded in real life. In novels you are often told what people are feeling, you do not have to work it out from facial expressions or body language.

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  • I worked in a field I was fascinated by - biomedical research - but I have never lived to work, even though I found work rewarding. I have always had two strings to my bow, biology and history. So even while I was working at one, the other gave me an alternative outlet and interest. Now I write Wikipedia articles (40 novel ones, so far, and I have rewritten and extended many more), mostly on historical subjects. I have also had historical articles published in online and print journals. I have also always read and enjoyed fiction, I think it has allowed me to explore how people work in a way that my autism has impeded in real life. In novels you are often told what people are feeling, you do not have to work it out from facial expressions or body language.

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