Indoor Hobbies

Right about now cabin fever is starting to kick in. It’s extremely important that we stay indoors and avoid contact with people as much as possible. While I completely agree your physical health is top priority, your mental health is just as important. So here are a few indoor activities that could make quarantine feel just a little bit better.

Hobbies are a great way to keep your mind distracted and active. I’m such a DIY freak, especially when it comes to upcycling everyday objects that may otherwise end up as trash. That’s why my current DIY project is making plarn.

When my roommates moved out, they left behind hundreds (203, to be exact) of plastic grocery bags, and I couldn’t stand the fact those would be polluting our environment. Pinterest has so many creative ideas on how to reuse practically anything – if you don’t already have the app I highly recommend you get it. Using Pinterest as my guide, I plan to completely convert my plastic bags into yarn, and then I will then knit my “plarn” into reusable grocery bags.

making-plarn

Pinterest has a ton of ideas that may interest you. My mother is really interested in those beautiful, Instagram-worthy cakes – though I personally cannot bake to save my life, so I usually pass on the baking DIYs. My point is, do what interests you and you might end up creating something beautiful, delicious, or functional. It’s the best kind of feeling when someone compliments your creation. Once you tell them that you made it on your own, it’s a guarantee that they’ll hold you to even greater regards.

If you are not crafty, worry not, I have plenty of other hobbies I will cover, like cooking. What better time to try out new recipes than when all your favorite restaurants are closed?

If you’re a newbie to cooking I recommend starting with comfort food – like mac and cheese, loaded baked potatoes, or soups. Those are all relatively easy but nothing short of delicious. If you are a bit more familiar around the kitchen, be brave and try out those hour and a half recipes that require twenty steps and for some odd reason always create a mess. I have yet to cook an hour plus recipe that does not leave my kitchen with flour everywhere and ten dirty pots. Some of my favorites include chicken pot pies, fried chicken, and enchiladas. I love to put time and effort into a project as it provides me with instant gratification – like a tasty meal to enjoy.

Another great thing about cooking is you get to meet your own needs. If a recipes calls for milk, but your lactose intolerant, you get to replace it with almond milk. If you cannot handle certain spices, leave it out. But my favorite thing about cooking, besides actually eating it, is that it’s dummy-proof, anybody can do it. If I accidentally pour too much salt, I just dilute it with more broth. Any mistake can be fixed when cooking, which I do all the time.     

As for my next suggestion, some may argue that it’s not a hobby, but I beg to differ. If you are someone who loves those satisfying posts that feed every OCD molecule in your body, then you’ll love this next hobby. This is probably the most time-consuming suggestion on my list of hobbies, but we also have a lot of extra time these days so why not make cleaning a hobby!

cleaning-your-fridge

As soon as I saw this photo, I thought to myself, “This needs to be my fridge!” I get this is a bit extreme but organizing little things around your house may make your life seem a little more structured. Let’s be honest we can use a little more structure in our lives since quarantine started.

Just because the world is in chaos, your fridge doesn’t need to be. Other than that, this just seems like fun (to some people), and it’s also very practical at a time like this. Organizing your fridge allows you to be better able to do a quick check of what you have and what you need. This prevents the purchasing of items in excess and ensuring there’s enough to go around on the grocery store shelves.  Mindfulness is extremely important now than ever.

On to the next hobby – gardening! Now, hear me out. I didn’t get it for a long time. I didn’t understand how my mother could spend hours in her garden, on her knees getting dirty and gross. But there is something so humbling in supporting life and growth. If there’s a hobby I recommend the most it’s gardening.

gardening

The reason I love gardening so much is that it’s a character builder. You gain positive qualities I think all people will benefit from, patience probably being the most obvious one. The labors of gardening aren’t reaped overnight, it takes years for one plant to reach maturity. Enjoying the simplest of things, any little progress your plant goes though feels like a huge achievement. You’ll hear yourself saying things like “the seed cracked!” or “a new leaf!” with excitement in your voice. Lastly, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for life. You’re going to find out how much work and dedication, persistence, and care you need to give your plant. You’ll realize that nature does this all on its own, yet you’ll gain an even greater appreciation for life knowing you contributed back to the world. It makes me personally want to take better care of our planet. It’s hard work growing a few plants, but well worth it.

I hope these suggestions interest you, and that you give one a try. It personally brings me so much joy to do any of these during this lonely time. Hopefully it’ll make quarantine a little more bearable.  

Resources:
https://www.extraspace.com/blog/home-organization/room-organization/diy-kitchen-storage-ideas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLCAiWBUNg4
DIY Image Source: https://wiredsmart.io/