Five Simple but Unusual Hobbies You Can Try at Home

In your spare time, it’s important to have hobbies to keep you entertained. It’s a chance to discover your passions and have fun, instead of life being just all work, work, work, which is a boring, unstainable way of living.

Hobbies aren’t just about entertainment though. They give you purpose and freedom in your spare time, reduce stress and create opportunities for you to grow. You develop confidence and build self-esteem. Ultimately, hobbies are a form of self-care because you’re taking time for yourself and your own wellbeing.

When it comes to choosing a hobby that you can pursue during the day or at night, you’re absolutely spoilt for choice. Blogging, reading, calligraphy and cookery are just a few of the more common hobbies, but you can also get some unusual ones. Here’s a selection you can try at home if you’re looking for something that little different to pursue.

Gaming

Gaming to kill the time is one thing, but gaming as a hobby is taking gaming to a whole new level and is easy to get into. It’s also a fantastic way to switch off after a hard day at the office.

There are so many resources out there, such as bonusfinder.co.uk and others, to help you start immersing yourself in your new gaming hobby.

For gaming, you’ll need a console or a gaming PC (the good thing about computers is you can upgrade them!), some good headphones, a decent monitor and, of course, some games. You’ll have to arm yourself with a load of patience and the will to persevere because games are challenging. Playing games will even teach you these important life skills.

Origami

Origami, the art of folding paper, is crafty and accessible. It’s also a superb way of practising mindfulness because the focus is on the folding, not on the final product. This keeps the focus on the present moment and makes origami an excellent way of managing stress and anxiety.

To practise origami, all you need is some paper, your hands and some patience. You’ll be able to find lots of resources on YouTube and can even do a course on Udemy. Popular origami models to make include the crane, the lotus flower and the jumping frog.

Tarot

Tarot, despite the bad reputation it’s acquired over the years, isn’t some eery practice of predicting the future or dealing with nothing but death and destruction. Instead, it’s more a light-hearted way of inviting personal reflection and thinking about our lives and our relationships with others. It’s an objective way to look at life and consider alternative perspectives and options.

Since there’s no ‘correct’ way to read the tarot, you can make your tarot card reading hobby as serious or as casual as you want. Reading the cards, however, takes self-awareness and understanding how you like to read them.

You should also be able to recall the meanings of the cards easily and be aware of the nuances in meaning between cards. Importantly, if you decide to make a living out of tarot card reading, which some people do, you should always be able to give an interpretation of the cards in front of you.

Home brewing

These days, a pint of ale can cost you a not-so-pretty penny, so you might even take to brewing your own as a hobby. Humans have been brewing their own beer for centuries. It’s entertaining. It’s creative. It can save you money.

If you start small, it’s more straightforward than you think. You just need four ingredients — hops, malted barley, water and yeast — plus a few items: a thermometer, a sanitisation solution, a siphon tube, a beer brewing bucket with a lid and a long mixing spoon. Home brewing is a hobby you can really get passionate about and it’s best to do a short course when getting started.

If you decide to brew your beer for a living, you’ll have to develop technical skills such as diacetyl management, yeast cropping and management, yeast nutrition and forced fermentation testing.

Aquascaping

How would you like a hobby that allows you to keep a submerged or semi-submerged mini garden? Aquascaping is a delightful hobby that helps you connect with nature and immerse yourself in it and which reduces stress.

You’ll need plenty of time (around an hour a week to clean the aquarium and maintain the plants) and commitment, a large spot you don’t being occupied for a long time, patience and the necessary equipment for aquascaping. That means an aquarium or leakproof container, some water-loving plants, filtered water, clean gravel and substrate and any other items you want in the tank. You’ll also need tweezers and scissors.

All the above make great hobbies that you can pursue at any time of the day in the comfort of your own home. Other unusual hobbies you may wish to try include decoupage, which involves decorating objects with paper or pictures, and making your own jam.