Hobbies are some of life’s good reasons to be cheerful. A spot of swimming, a hearty walk before dinner, or even to sit at home, read, write, cult or craft.
We have hobbies because they bring us joy, and we pick the ones we like that make us happy, relaxed, healthy or creative.
We certainly don’t pick them to look impressive, but the same cannot be said for narcissists.
There is a sheer air of pretense around the kinds of people who have hobbies just to look good, and I want to discuss them with you.
#1 Community work
You’d think community work comes from a place of compassion, and for most people, it does.
For a narcissist? Never!
Narcissists love community work, not because they want to help, but because they want to appear like the sort of person who cares.
They love to show off and pretend they want to help, but really, they’re only helping themselves.
Or as I like to call it, costume charity.
Don’t fall for the nice guy act, just because a person is doing something good, does not mean they are good.
#2 Gardening
Gardening is peaceful, and helps to ground people. You can grow veg, keep borders tidy, and really show off the true wonders of nature.
Narcissists, however, see it as an opportunity for accolades and compliments.
Victims watch narcissists in their lives “take up gardening”
Suddenly, they become “a plant enthusiast.” Except they don’t even know the difference between soil types, and probably have a meltdown when a plant dies because it makes them look like a bad gardner.
How sad is that?!
For narcissists, gardening isn’t about tending to life., but more about appearing to be deep and in tune with nature. There’s nothing wholesome about that.
For narcissists, plants are props. The dirt never actually touches their hands.
#3 Making wine
For those who genuinely love making wine, it’s actually a great hobby – and a great way to give at Christmas, too! It is a hobby rooted in patience and passion, but narcissists don’t do a thing quietly.
Instead, they make wine that screams, “I am so sophisticated!”, and the more people who can see it, the better.
I am a small-batch, artisanal winemaker, don’t you know?
Oh really? You could have fooled me. Last I saw, you had a barrel of some rather questionable cherry scented liquid fermenting in your spare bathroom.
That’s not artisanal, or impressive. But hey, feel free to try to tell the narcissist that.
Anything to do with the cleaning process, or the finer details were completely neglected.
All narcissists want is to fill up the pretty bottles, label them accordingly, and ship them to family and friends with a smug look on their faces.
#4 Golf
Ah yes, golf. Or as I like to call it, the unofficial sport of egos. Before you come at me in the comments, hear me out.
I get that golf is a sport, and can be relaxing, and I have spent my fair share of time on a course with friends.
But, I have also seen my fair share of narcissists beckoning their ball boys rudely to find the ball in the weeds, or who think they are far superior to everybody else.
Golf appeals to narcissists because it comes with a status. Meeting after for drinks at the private club, and chatting about rich things with rich people.
For me, I quite like to play, but I don’t like the thought of doing so surrounded by entitled egos.
Golf isn’t a hobby to a narcissist. It’s a brand.
#5 Meditation
Meditation is both an effective and peaceful way to balance body and mind, and I urge anybody to try it and keep it up.
Every day if you can. But my urge comes from a place of sincerity, and not statement.
I am not a product selling a product, and I do not wish to push the process of inviting peace into your life with a smug smile.
Narcissists tend to do this, but when you think about it, they aren’t people of peace. They aren’t even slightly self-aware. They don’t have an ounce of humility in their blood.
But they pretend they do, and that’s evident when they gloat about being able to meditate for an hour a day.
Meditation isn’t a badge.
I am just so in tune with myself.
I am spiritually evolved.
You should meditate, too. It might help you control your emotions.
Weaponized tranquility.
It’s a fact:
Narcissists don’t meditate, but pose as people who meditate.
#6 Yoga
Yoga! The second spiritual flex for narcissists!
Narcissists don’t want the true benefits of yoga, they just want to look aesthetically pleasing and as if they know what they’re doing. It’s another sign of obsession.
I look brilliant, therefore I must be brilliant.
No. You are neither.
The brag is that a narcissist loves yoga, when in reality, they love themselves.
#7 Fast cars
Narcissists genuinely enjoy fast cars, but not for reasons you might possibly be imagining.
This hobby isn’t about engineering, or even driving, it’s about status and attention. The fastness exudes money, and money is an obsession the narcissist was probably born with.
They are flashy, loud, and not practical at all, which I would say describes narcissists quite perfectly.
They love to be surrounded by them in the hope that it too, makes them look filthy rich.
Really, they just look like sad big kids with a wish. If anything, I find it quite laughable when I see a narcissist in a Ferrari hoodie driving around in a Hyundai.
#8 Travelling
Traveling ought to widen your mindset and deepen what you learn about the world we all live in and share. Narcissists travel for one reason only, and that is the photo opportunities.
Imagine what it must be like to travel with a narcissist who spends the entire trip posing. There’s no care about culture, food, experience, or history, just about being seen.
It would bore you to tears within hours, but that’s what life is like with a narcissist.
Traveling for applause and not because you genuinely want to see sights and experience different cultures is the precise reason why it’s impossible to feel good across the world from a narcissist.
#9 Anything that involves posing online
Anything that involves being posted online, the narcissist will be a huge fan of.
It’s the only real hobby they can probably and safely say they’re good at, without any slacking or fault.
After all, the online profile is far more important a lot of the time than how they present in real life
It is carved out through carefully selected posted, filtered, staged and filmed content. They want to show off? They simply tag their location.
They want attention? They will post cryptic clues. Do they want sympathy? They will post some kind of mental health meme or photo of themselves at the doctor.
Their real hobby is creating an identity that doesn’t exist.
The passion behind this hobby is the performance, and boy, are narcissists perfect at that.
