With 2023 still gearing up and with many of us still (trying) to keep at our new year’s resolutions, it’s the perfect time to pick up a new hobby. Here’s five possible hobbies for you to start up this year!
- Crochet
Crochet is such a crafty hobby, and supposedly easy to pick up! Plus once you finish your project, you get something to show your hard work and accomplishments. This year, I’ve been trying to get into crochet and it’s been going pretty well. You can easily find crochet kits online to see if it would be something you’re interested in, and get all the supplies you need in one purchase. Once you’ve mastered the art of crochet, you can start to create larger items like sweaters, and plushies.
- Reading
I recently got into reading over the last two years, and it’s changed my life. Like many others, I was a big reader in middle school, but slowly lost the love of reading. However when my best friend introduced me to the right book, I rediscovered my love of reading. My biggest tip to get into reading is to find the right book and genre for you. Consider starting with what you like watching on TV or what kind of movies you like. Almost any genre exists on the screen and in books. There’s also great apps and websites like Goodreads and Storygraph to help log what you’ve read, see what your friends are reading, and find book recommendations.
- Cooking and Baking
At Loyola we have kitchens in all of the upperclassmen dorms, which means cooking or baking is a hobby that any student can pick up. While it’s so convenient to go to the dining hall and grab dinner, it’s never bad to have cooking skills. A great way to find recipes is on TikTok, Pinterest, or even Instagram. TikTok is especially helpful for providing tips on grocery shopping as a college student, and how to keep everything friendly to your budget. With learning to cook, you get lifelong skills and a tasty meal.
- Journaling
Journaling is a great hobby for your mental health that’s easy and affordable to start. All you need is some sort of way to record your thoughts which could be pen and paper, a computer, a tablet, or whatever you have at your disposal. You don’t need the fanciest pens or notebooks in order to get started. Journaling provides a way to organize your thoughts, and works as a good coping method for when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Journaling is something new I’ve started this year, and it’s easy to maintain. I like to set a timer and just let me thoughts flow onto the page.
- Learning a New Language
With apps like Duolingo, learning a new language is so accessible. While you can always take a class to learn a new language, with the internet you have the ability to learn less popular languages that aren’t offered here at school. Also, you’re able to learn at your own pace without the stress of assignments and exams. With access to TikTok, YouTube and language learning apps, you can learn practically any language and have the freedom to spend your own time learning at your own pace.