As the school year progresses, we get more and more clouded with school work, possibly finding it harder to create a balance between school life and our personal lives. As we hit midterms and finals, it’s important to take time for yourself and do things you enjoy to decompress. Relieving stress can be done in various forms, one being finding a hobby! Hobbies are things that individuals enjoy engaging in to step back from reality and find peace in an activity. Maybe there isn’t a hobby that has fascinated you thus far, guiding you here, to possibly find your new passion. The hobbies I have listed below are awesome ways to pass time or simply relieve anxiety.
Jewelry making
This hobby is so engaging and unique as you get to customize anything you want to fit your own style or needs. With this hobby, you can make a variety of different things, from earrings to bracelets, necklaces, or even charms. While jewelry making does entail materials to be bought, there are not many prior skills needed for this activity. This is also a great way to get friends and family together to create. This hobby is also extra special as the items you are producing can make fabulous gifts for those you care about.
Ceramics
Ceramics can entail a variety of things – one could use air-dry clay and hand make their own goodies, or join a pottery studio where they could use a wheel to spin their own things as well. If we are focusing on air-dry clay, this is something so fun and simple and can be done at home. The list of items someone could make is endless, from necklace pendants, to dishware, to vases. The freedom of being able to make anything your heart desires is something that makes this hobby extremely unique and special. Any skill level can engage in this hobby, as art is subjective. Similar to jewelry making, this hobby can also double as a great gift opportunity for those around you. Ceramics is a special hobby with endless possibilities guaranteed to help one decompress from work/school life.
Scrapbooking
This may not be viewed as a hobby, but usually rather something a parent or grandparents may engage in. Growing up, I thought of this hobby as such, yet as I grow older, I realize the potential that scrapbooking holds. Yes, it’s a book to hold memories and or celebrate something or someone, but this hobby entails much more. Scrapbooking could be used to make vision boards for the upcoming years or even a vision board of one’s future home. Scrapbooking could also be used to make bucket lists/to-do lists, or could even be used as decoration. With this hobby, materials can be purchased, but they can also be sourced without having to buy anything. Using local newspapers or magazines is an awesome way to scrapbook as well. This hobby does not take any particular skills, as it’s all subjective to what each individual is looking for in their specific piece.
Sewing/knitting/crocheting
While this hobby may take a bit of a learning curve, it’s guaranteed to keep you busy for hours. Sewing is not only a great hobby, but a very useful skill. With this skill, you can fix any item of clothing that may break or rip, along with hand craft any new piece of clothing or accessory. Knitting and crocheting are also about making, yet in a different form, as they require yarn and specific needles. The possibilities with these three hobbies are endless, as you can make or create anything. With time, practice, and patience you could have a whole new wardrobe. While these hobbies are extremely rewarding, they’re also anxiety-reducing. Focusing on a project that has the potential to be amazing is a great time consumer.
Painting
If you think you may not have an artistic side, painting is still a joyous hobby guaranteed to calm the anxiety you may feel through the semester and it’s not bound to one style. Intentional paintings of a figure or animal are equally as important and stress-relieving as abstract art. Painting also takes many forms such as acrylic, watercolor, pastel, or even oil painting. The canvases on which you paint on are boundary-less as well. No time to run to the art store? Find an old Trader Joe’s bag and use it as a canvas. You can paint on tote bags, shoes, shirts, walls, binders, etc. Similar to the rest of these hobbies, paintings are also awesome gift ideas for those you love.
I hope some of these hobbies inspired you to engage in new activities, as you never know what you may end up enjoying. Each hobby is limitless and so many possibilities and outcomes are possible, as each individual can intertwine their own creative side to each and every one.