Hobbies area great way to pass the time, or a great way to mindfully spend your hours. They are, of course, proven to drive down your stress levels and let your brain relax and shut off for a while. When you are taking part in your hobbies, your happiness levels go up, because you’re taking part in something you enjoy.

More people are taking up hobbies as a way to either make or save money too. It is an exciting and fun way to add new skills to your skill set also. But, what about if you don’t know what hobby will work for you?

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Hiking

Or its friendlier and slower companion – walking. Or its faster mate – cycling. Getting healthy with your hobby is a huge perk, but with this one, you can book holidays too. You don’t need much more than a pair of trainers and a bike to start with. You can book in for hiking holidays and take in some stunning views around the world. Or alternatively, have a walk around your local park, or find a local walking group.

Writing

This one can start very small, and suddenly you will find you are earning cash – if you want to. Everything from short and sweet poems to complete novels can be a gratifying and somewhat cathartic process. Journalling is a great way to help you process the experiences of the day, and it doesn’t have to be all painful. It can be a celebration of the fun stuff too! Journals are a bit of a two-for-one because you can spend time decorating them. Everything from bows and lace to glitter and stickers. You can create your own shapes and decorations with things like vinyl, but you’re better off reading vinylcuttingmachineguide.com.

Music

You could learn to play an instrument, or join a band if you can already play. You could spend your time curating and creating playlists to share or learn to make your own beats (and sell them!). You can learn online to start with, for almost any instrument there is an online tutorial video to help.

Painting

Or drawing, or sculpture. You get the gist though. You won’t need much to get started, and sure there are going to be plenty of mess ups and even painters block. But eventually you’ll begin to see inspiration in more places, and the work will flow from you. Like most things, it takes time to build up your skill level, but you can produce work from the very beginning.

Finding hobbies needn’t cost the earth, and you can test out multiple things before you settle on one you like. You might even find that you combine a few of the hobbies above and become extra creative! Whatever you choose to do, try to make sure that you carve out time as often as possible to do it. Join local groups and you’ll get even more out of it.