What are the Benefits of Learning a New Skill?
Read about the advantages of exercising your brain
Wherever you may be, whatever you may be interested in, why not delve right in and start a new chapter in your life.
Learning provides us with an escapism when we need it, along with knowledge when we seek it, and it’s a great way to pass the time.
“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” — B.B. King
New skills can open up new doors and opportunities, and most importantly enhance our quality of life.
Let’s have a little look below at some benefits of learning a new skill;
1. Helps to reduce stress — Starting something new is a great stress reliever. In the fast-paced lives that we all lead, it can be very difficult to take out time for ourselves and do things that we enjoy the most. By choosing to start a creative hobby such as dancing, playing a musical instrument, cooking or painting, for example, it helps us break the cycle from our normal daily lives. It gives our brains a unique experience and something else to think about.
2. The Power of Knowledge — knowledge is key, you can achieve so many things in life. Learning something new is a powerful tool to have.
3. Grow in confidence — When we succeed in learning something new, we start to feel better in ourselves, we feel more confident in our abilities and skills.
‘’It’s so important to believe in yourself!! Remember anything is possible in life if you put your mind to it’’.
4. Improving your mental health — there is a lot of research that shows why learning has a positive impact on our mental health and well-being. Learning something new stretches the muscles in our brain. One main reason is that it is all about setting goals and trying our best to achieve the targets we set out. Having the real sense of achievement is a crucial part of us ‘doing well’ in mind, body and spirit.
5. Being Social — Learning can be a social activity and it can help us connect with others, which is difficult to do sometimes in today’s electronic world. Social connections are vital to our mental well-being. There are plenty of reputable online courses to learn from, some are even free too which is a bonus! I find visual guides like YouTube videos, online tutorials, and webinars are all very effective ways to gather information and learn new skills too.… Visuals showing you how to do something is sometimes easier when learning rather than being told how to do it.
6. Having fun with it — To learn something new is so exciting, this allows us to open our minds and see what the world has to offer if you think about it the world is full of remarkable skills and talent. I find discovering them is enjoyable and rewarding. This inspires us to keep moving forward!
Just like the phrase Sir Winston Churchill used at the start of each day and at the end of every telephone conversation: ‘’Keep Buggering On’’ (Keep Plodding On if in the presence of a lady).
7. Rediscovering — During our live’s it’s likely many of us have given up on something that we were once enthusiastic about, this could have been for many reasons. However, no one wants to look back and think — What if? If only I could turn back time??? Remember we can always make a difference and change things in one way or another.
A Turning Point typically shows up about every 10 years of adult life between ages 18 and 65, but, of course, some experience fewer or more Turning Points and experience them at different times.
If you still have a passion for a hobby or skill you once had, why not start trying to get back into the swing of things again…remember ‘It’s never too late’.
I’d love to hear what new and exciting skills you have or wish to learn?
Written by Becky Gregory.
