Being stuck at home during a pandemic can be quite stressful, but thankfully, there are many ways you can spend your time and reduce your stress. One great way to reduce stress during a pandemic is by picking up one or more hobbies.
Not only can hobbies help to relieve stress and anxiety but they can also be quite enjoyable and may even teach you new and useful skills. There are many different hobbies you might wish to try, and eight of the best hobbies to start during a pandemic are described below.
1. Exercising
Perhaps one of the best hobbies to start during a pandemic is exercising. Exercising provides many wonderful benefits including reducing stress, increasing overall health, maintaining fitness, and helping to lose unwanted weight.
You may choose to follow an exercise program on TV, or maybe you would like to create your own personalized exercise program. If you have a partner and/or children, now would be a great time to get them involved in an exercise program too.
2. Reading
While exercising can help keep your body physically fit, reading can help keep your mind in good shape. During a pandemic is a good time to build your library of books and begin reading. You can choose to build a library of physical books or if you have an e-reader, maybe you would like to create an online reading library.
Reading can help you learn new things that you never knew about before, or it can carry you away into an exciting world of fantasy and fiction.
3. Scrap-booking
If you are a highly creative type of person, scrap-booking may be the best hobby for you to pick up during a pandemic. One great aspect of scrapbooking is that there are no rules: you can add anything you wish to your scrapbook and decorate it any way you want using any materials you would like.
Many people choose a theme for their scrapbook such as photos through the years pasting decorations around the photos and adding a bit of text for personalization. Of course, you can choose any other theme you wish.
4. Gardening
Another fun hobby to try during a pandemic is gardening. Whether you would like to plant flowers, vegetables, or an herb garden, this is a hobby that you can enjoy alone or with your family.
Furthermore, there are many great gardening communities online where you can find useful suggestions for planting, fertilizing, and tending your garden. Gardening also offers several benefits including providing you with fresh vegetables and attracting butterflies and honey bees.
5. Cooking
If you enjoy cooking already, why not expand on your cooking skills and abilities while you are confined to your home during a pandemic? Look online and find new recipes that you have never tried before and try them! If you think that a recipe might be tasty if you add or delete an ingredient, try it.
This is a terrific hobby for single people looking to add new dishes to their recipe box or people with families who are looking for variety. If you have children, let them help you with simple dishes.
6. Crafting
Crafting is another fun hobby for highly creative persons. If you have a creative mind, why not consider picking up some type of craft such as sewing, knitting, macrame, model building, or wood crafting?
There are so many different types of crafts, and you can even choose to do simple crafting projects with your kids. If you need an idea, visit a crafting website or blog, join a crafting community, or browse through the arts and crafts departments of various online stores.
7. Writing
You do not have to be a professional writer or even a good one to pick up writing. Whether you choose to write in a blog or diary, writing can be a terrific way to relieve stress. Another thing you might want to consider is starting a blog about your thoughts and feelings during the pandemic.
You can set your blog to private or public, and if you set it to the public, you can allow comments that may help you connect to others that likely feel the same way you feel.
8. Home Improvement Projects
Do you have a home improvement project (or two) that you have been meaning to start but have not had the time for? If so, why not begin it now? Maybe you would like to paint that spare room, build a bookshelf in your family room, or turn that spare closet into a food pantry.
No matter what you might want to do, now is a great time to do it! If you are not sure what you would like to do, check out a do-it-yourself or home improvement website for some ideas.
Starting a hobby is a great way to spend your time during a pandemic, and it can help to relieve your stress as well. Although there are many fun hobbies you may want to pick up, the eight hobbies described in the sections above are among the most popular.
