What's your hobby?

[TeasAndSeasApply]

Due to ongoing, never ending stress in my life I've lost my mojo/joie de Vivre/zest for life. Whatever you want to call.it, I've lost it. I think I need to immerse myself in a hobby but I just don't know what kind.

I hate sports of any kind so not at all interests in that. I exercise so have that covered. I adore all kinds of music, enjoy reading, am interested in arts and crafts etc but as I have inattentive ADHD I swing from one thing to another and lose interest really quickly. I really need one thing to focus on and hopefully enjoy enough to stick with it.

I can't really afford a huge outlay so something reasonably affordable.

Any suggestions? What hobbies keep you happy?

If you want something that you can just pick up / put down, obsess over endlessly in your brain, and go on side-tangent research projects as often as you like, I highly recommend doing detailed travel plans (for if you could take a month / year out of your life and go travelling).

This appeal to my adhd brain because I can put in whatever boundaries I like (budget is X, time of year is Y, locations are Z and ZZ, people involved are A, B and C, preferred activities are D, E, F) and then spend a delightful period 'solving' all the problems involved in fitting my fantasy holiday plans within those constraints to make it perfect. Then I adjust the parameters if it's not going to work (too many public holidays at that time of year / snow isn't guaranteed/ the kids will be the wrong age for X activity / the train connections aren't perfect / not sure the local cuisine specialties are my cup of tea) and keep going. Usually keeps me very happily occupied for about a month at a time. Plus it's free.

If you want something long lasting and with genuine development, maybe learning a musical instrument? It only works if you love it and really get interested though. Definitely borrow or hire first instead of buy to see how you go. Otherwise it just joins the dusty pile of other expensive hobby equipment that was used for a week and then discarded (ask me how I know...)

Litter picking? Community wellbeing, fresh air, people will stop and say hi, you choose the schedule. Minimal outlay - a litter picker, extra bin bags, rubber gloves, trip to the tip to get rid of it. Our local authority has a litter volunteer scheme - will give you litter picker and bags, can leave filled bags by public bins for collection.

I can’t afford to go travelling, I also have health issues which make travelling harder work and I care for my mum who has advanced dementia so sadly travelling of any kind is currently out of the question.

I do like the idea of trying the ukulele as I’ve heard it’s one of the most easiest instruments to learn?

Family history has served me well for a few years. Can go off on tangents & down rabbit holes (what does it mean to be a hair dresser in early 1800s Manchester). Can pick up or put down as required. A bit detective, a bit crossword. Requires some outlay - I have annual memberships for both Ancestry and Find My Past - or your local library probably has free access to both. A DNA test is helpful once you've got a reasonable tree in place (wait til there's an offer on).

My current spin off is photographing graves in a local cemetery then uploading & transcribing them to Findagrave... Yes, it is quite dull but in a nice way 😄Completely free, no pressure, quite soothing. I do use my FMP membership to fill in extra details.

Ukulele. Doing free lectures and courses online. Going to local music and theatre performances. Duolingo. Doing puzzles online every day.

Do you have a sewing machine?
I obsessively watch sewing/quilting videos on YouTube.
These give me as much pleasure as actually sewing.
Collecting rulers, templates, sewing machine feet, etc, fulfils the need for constant 'newness'.

That’s right up my street especially the grave thing, I love looking around cemeteries, imagining what lives these people had lived. I actually find it to be calming and peaceful friends think I’m strange lol!

I will definitely look into that.

Lots of hobbies! Reading, particularly history related books, many of which I access free through the library. I also join in with history groups and authors online.
Knitting. I've joined a small community group and access many patterns through press reader at the library. We all swap yarn, tell each other about special offers and access online groups.
Cross stitch. If you buy a kit it takes ages to make so a £25 kit can last many months. I get kits as gifts from family or pick them up at charity shops. There are also some great online groups discussing stitching.
Instagram is a great friend for craft inspiration

I like sports so have a few hobbies in that area (running, swimming, tennis), and I also have horses so I have them to look after every day and I ride probably 3-4 times a week.

I really love playing the piano as well, and I go through phases with that of working out how to play new pieces and practising them.

Main one is horse riding, though it’s certainly not a low cost hobby. Other hobbies include travelling and when I have time painting/ crafts

Help out at animal rescue?
try different sports pikates dance fit spin you might like one of them

I enjoy cross stitch on my own and litter picking in a group

Mine are gym and reading. Holds ADHD and Autism well. Audio books help with the procrastination of housework and cooking.

My job is full on and intense, so being able to relax with a book balanced with a good workout at the gym keeps me sane!

Books, writing, and attending a writing group. And exercise. Normally gardening but not so much in hot weather.

Morris dance. Sort of, I'm in the band. Great hobby though.

@TeasAndSeasApplyI think @PaperSandboxmeant more of if you could do this rather than being able to do. I like doing this I definitely don’t go into as much detail as @PaperSandboxbut my partner & I love sitting down and looking at places on YouTube, doing some research and then figuring out what we can do and when! It’s just a bucket list and we have a list if we were ever able to do that!

Singing. Join a choir. Low cost, as social as you want it to be and music is good for the soul.

Knitting, cooking, collecting vintage/antique cookery books.

Main hobby is singing. I decided in 2019 that I would like to learn to sing so took lessons. I am preparing for grade 5 and sing in a choir. Just started piano lessons to help with the theory side of things but love those lessons.
Also knit while watching TV. There are just two stitches in knitting - knit and purl, so it is easy to pick up.

community choir, gardening, in the dead of winter knitting

Also have inattentive type ADHD. Board games are my main hobby. There are so many, ranging from party games, to complex games that take 6+ hours, and everything in between. It's hard to get bored when there are so many different games. I'm part of a local group and have lots of friends there too.

I also like video gaming, crochet, and painting.

@PaperSandbox I love this idea,maybe combined with reading a book from that country. I have a lot of notebooks, so I could do country itineraries, points of interest etc.

I enjoy nature walks and short hikes..nothing too strenuous as it’s mostly about enjoying the gorgeous countryside and enjoying time
with my son.

Sewing, just little projects..again nothing big and strenuous (there’s a theme here 😅) so no clothing or larger projects. Either using the sewing machine or hand sewn.

Writing and illustrating. For my family, nothing fancy. Poems and short stories. I love being creative and drawing so that hits the spot for me.

Polymer clay. Just little trinkets/decorations and items/food for my nieces dollhouse if she has any requests.

The walking is the only thing I really do fairly regularly, the others I just dip in and out of when inspiration strikes or when the fancy takes me!

I really want to learn to crochet but I can’t pick it up! I’ve saved a crochet pattern for a blanket but it’s beyond me 😩 ..I mean, even if I was able to get the hang of crochet I doubt I’d make it through a whole blanket anyway but maybe one day 😁

Same here - I’d love to be able to crochet but I just can’t do it! I do cross stitching which I really enjoy, but I find it harder as my eyes get older.