Hobbies can be a great way to enhance your life. It can help you exercise, socialise, relax, and learn new skills.
Hobbies come in a wide variety of forms, from hobbies you can do from an armchair, to hobbies you need to travel to indulge in.
Not all hobbies are suitable for all people. Whilst many disabled people play sports, not all sports are suitable. It would be exceptionally dangerous for a paraplegic to go spelunking for example.
Hobbies come in many forms. Read on for some ideas of what forms may suit you, and what you may need to get started.
Great for introverts and busy people, these hobbies don't require anyone else to get involved, and don't require you to go anywhere. Examples include video games, artistic pursuits such as painting, model making or writing, or even simple activities such as watching movies, reading books, or yoga.
Great for people in remote locations, with limited mobility, or looking to really get to know their friends, these hobbies can range from the complex, such as table top RPGs and wargaming, to simple things like board games, card games, or even just organising a movie night.
Great for anyone looking to make new friends and discover new aspects to their hobbies, these kinds of hobbies range from attending events such as live music nights, open mic nights and bingo, to joining creative communities such as art studios or theatre groups.
You'll meet new people, but there's also often no pressure to stay, which can be good for people with some social anxiety, or disabilities limiting the time they can dedicate to a task.
Great for people looking to stay in shape, these hobbies are very varied and range from outdoors hobbies such as hiking which can help you reconnect with nature, competitive hobbies such marathon running, or indoors hobbies such as swimming.
Even activities such as joining a sports team fall under this category, the variety of options is very wide, especially as there's very little social stigma on athletic pursuits, meaning humanity has invented a a lot of them.
There are many more types of hobbies out there beyond that, but it should help you think of a few options.
There are a number of things to consider before picking up a hobby. If you don't, you may find yourself unable to follow it, or worse, it may cause you problems.
This is a big one. Many hobbies come with costs. Some of these are one off costs, like buying a deck of cards, but often there will be recurring costs.
Speak to other hobbyists to find out how much it costs them to keep up, and be sure it fits in your budget before you start.
Some hobbies require you to have a continuous period of time free to complete. Most hobbies that aren't done from home have this. If you interact with other people, you won't be able to stop half-way through your activity to do something else.
Many hobbies, again especially involving other people, also require you to be present at a particular time every week. You will find yourself kicked out of your choir/sports team/roleplay group if you never show up.
Items you purchase for your hobby have to go somewhere when not in use. Do you have somewhere you can put them? If you're half-way through a painting, you can't just put it aside, the paint will be wet and if it gets bumped into, it could get damaged.
Other hobbies require workspace, or tools which again, require space, and sometimes ventilation. Can't easily take up woodworking in a studio flat. 3D resin printing should not be done in your living room, or you'll suffer from the fumes.
There's a hobby for everyone if you look hard enough, and you can always start a new group if what your looking for doesn't exist!