January is National Hobby Month and health professionals say taking up a hobby can be a great way to combat the winter blues.

“They're things that make us have meaning and enjoyable feelings about ourselves and about others as well,” said Dr. Wendy Weinstein, unit chief of psychiatry at BryLin Hospital.

Having a hobby can improve mental and physical health by lowering blood pressure and decreasing cortisol levels.

“You don't have to be perfect at it," Weinstein said. "It's just something you can do at any time."

Nobody knows the joy of hobbies quite like Jason Field, second-generation owner of Field’s Hobby on Union Road. The store is packed floor to ceiling with remote-controlled cars, boats, planes and all the parts needed to fix them.

“It's fulfilling when.... you can tell [people are] into it," Field said. "You can tell they kind of just, like, found a spot."

According to 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 76% of people spent most of their time off work watching television. Participating in sports, exercise, or recreation ranked fifth with 20% of the population. No matter how little time you think you have, Weinstein says even 10 minutes a day can be beneficial.

“It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, what you're doing, what kind of day you've had,” Field said. “You know, everybody kind of puts everything aside and we're all grown people playing with toys.”