Being Bad At A New Hobby Can Boost Your Mental Health, Say Therapists

When I say I’m terrible at my new hobby (chess), I don’t mean I’m unfamiliar with classic openings or sometimes make a basic error. 

I mean that I’ve done stuff even the most incompetent minds have never dreamed of. In a move I call the “Bechdel blunder,” I have mistakenly tried to checkmate my opponent’s queen instead of their king multiple times (the crowns confuse me!).

I have other hobbies: knitting, crochet, baking, drawing, reading, and sewing, to name a few. But I have never been this catastrophically bad at anything I’ve tried to pick up before, and I’ve never felt more stupid.

So why do I find the hobby uniquely relaxing? And why do I feel more confident, fulfilled, and engaged after being beaten at chess than I am after hobbies I’m way better at? 

I spoke to BACP-approved therapists Nicola Vanlint and Read Entire Article