Indoor Hobbies To Try This Winter

The long winter months can be dull and tedious. Short days and long nights don't provide much opportunity for fun and adventure, and due to the dipping temperatures, many (understandably so) choose to stay in the toasty confines of their own homes.

As a consequence of the 2020 lockdowns, many of us chose to take up a new hobby or two to pass the time and make the most of a bad situation. Why leave this energy in 2020? Adopting a new hobby can benefit mental health, lowering stress levels and promoting healthy sleep patterns. Furthermore, the colder months are notorious for exacerbating symptoms of anxiety and depression; therefore, what better time to take up a new pastime?

Get To The Kitchen

Whether you're an experienced foodie or a complete novice, the art of cooking is an ongoing process acquired from experience. Experimenting in the kitchen and putting your culinary skills to the test can be extremely rewarding. Try your hand at different recipes from around the world by following online tutorials, or treat yourself to a new cookbook. To truly impress your family or housemates, you could attempt to replicate some restaurant favorites and host a home cook-off.

Take Up An Instrument

Picking up an instrument not only allows you to acquire a new skill, but studies show that learning to play a musical instrument enhances verbal memory, literacy skills and spatial reasoning. It may also help to reduce stress and lower your blood pressure. Consider booking online tutoring or downloading an app such as Yousician, where you can explore your love for music with the guitar, piano, bass or ukulele.

Learn To Crochet

If you're feeling extra chilly this winter, why not learn to crochet and create some cozy blankets for you and your loved ones? The basics of crochet are relatively easy to master - start with a few basic stitches, and before you know it, you'll be making hats, scarves, gloves and all sorts of charming decorations for your home.

Get Active

With the ever-rising cost of gym memberships, it's easy to see why many are choosing to get fit from home. You don't need fancy gym equipment; all you need to get moving is a yoga mat and a YouTube link. Stream classes for Yoga, Pilates, Dancercise or even HIIT workouts if you really want to get a sweat going. If you're feeling daring enough to brave the cold, don some thermal activewear and take yourself for a jog around the local park or nature reserve.

Start An Indoor Garden

Gardening is exceptionally beneficial to physical and mental well-being. During winter, your options for cultivating crops outdoors are limited. Hardy veg such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbages may thrive, but if you long for seasonal summer salad favorites such as tomatoes and cucumbers, other growing options are available. You could purchase a small grow tent setup for indoor use - a handy piece of kit that acts as an isolated self-sustained climate, allowing you to control temperature and humidity levels, perfect for growing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Learn A New Language

Learning a new language comes with a myriad of benefits. Being bilingual can improve your memory and make you a better multitasker. It may even bolster your career prospects. Suppose you have an upcoming holiday - learning some basics of the local language will boost your confidence and improve your communication skills leading to a wholesome traveling experience.

Journaling And Scrapbooking

A fantastic way to practice mindfulness is to take up a calming, creative hobby such as journaling or scrapbooking. If you're the archivist type who enjoys looking back at photographs, videos and mementoes from the past, consider preserving meaningful artifacts in a scrapbook, annotated and decorated to perfection - this provides a nostalgic time capsule you can look back on for years to come .

Upcycling

Sadly, not all of us are DIY gurus, but a great place to start is by taking up small upcycling projects. Upcycling is the process of taking something old - perhaps an item of furniture - and repairing, refurbishing, or repurposing it into something new. This could include painting, reupholstering and reimagining the function of an object. For example, if your wooden dining chairs look a little shabby and dated, sand them down, give them a lick of paint and replace the fabric with something fresh and unique.