We will admit, the thought of a constant Netflix binge does very much appeal to us. However, it does get old surprisingly quickly.
Now we’re in our third national lockdown, we thought, what better way to spend it than exploring some new hobbies?
In normal, everyday life, it can be hard for people to take time out of their day for themselves, to do something just for them that they find fun – sometimes it’s because you don’t know what to do, and sometimes you just don’t have the time.
But that’s something lockdown definitely gives you: time. So we’ve done our research and come up with a list of new hobbies for you to explore.
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Learn a language
Maybe you’re planning a post-COVID trip away? (Let’s be real, we’re all dreaming of it.) Or maybe you just want to brush up on your high school French? Or hey, maybe you just love learning. Regardless of your motivation behind it, learning a language can be really rewarding and it comes in handy for job opportunities. Not to mention its practically free to do if you use apps. The main app we recommend is DuoLingo although there’s no doubt more out there, after having used DuoLingo we can tell you its easy to use, super engaging, has good reward schemes in which you can learn a specific type of conversation (how to flirt in French for example) and if you fancy it, you can learn more than one language at once! Not to mention the super cute owl mascot.
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Knitting or crochet
Okay, fair warning, this is hard. Or we are just bad at it. Either or. Once you wrap your head around it and get into a rhythm doing it, it’s like your brain goes on autopilot but our advice for beginners is, PERSEVERE! You can create some really cute items from knitting and crochet, whether you decide to gift your final products to your loved ones, keep it for yourself or hey you could even sell them? Knitting is a super rewarding hobby to have. It’s also really mindful and relaxing (once you get your head around it). You can order some really reasonably priced supplies from The Works.
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Do a course!
I know remote learning is not everybody’s cup of tea however while you’re already in the swing of things, why don’t you try do an online course or qualification? Centre of Excellence have some really cool courses, although slightly pricey, you can find some good discount codes online. You can choose to do one about something you’re interested in or something that would boost your career and CV, either way it’s a really good use of your time and it will help you remain in that ‘learning zone’ for your university classes.
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Gardening
Okay – hear us out, we get that going outside in this kind of weather is probably not up high on your to-do list. However, winter is actually a really good time to plant certain veg. Garlic, leeks and onions are all things you can plant right now, and potatoes are best to plant in February! For total beginners, we recommend potatoes – they take about three months and honestly, they are really fun to harvest. Plus, you can literally just put the potatoes you get from the supermarket in the ground and more will grow (well, at least that’s what worked for us) and then harvesting them is like digging for treasure.
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Air-dry clay
This is a personal favourite. You can make anything. Literally anything. Little pots and plates, jewellery, little figurines, the possibilities are endless with this one. It’s also super affordable, you can get a 1KG packet of clay from The Works for £4. This is the type of hobby you can do with family as well, so if you are still wanting to spend time with them (at this point, we get it, you need your own space) you can and it can be a total laugh. Or do it on your own, it’s a fun thing to do with the TV or music on in the background – just something that takes our eyes of those screens for a little bit.
Regardless of what hobby you choose to take up, or even if you decide that Netflix is still keeping you interested, the most important thing is that you are nourishing your mind and keeping yourself happy and healthy.
Let us know if you have any other hobbies to recommend!