Well I guess we made it through another year – welcome to 2024, and happy new year if it means anything to you! We’re back with the first topic of the year – hobbies I used to enjoy. This could very well be quite a long post if I’m not selective – as you know from my recent post on the topic, I have ADHD, which means I hyperfocus on new interests, often hobbies, and am completely obsessed – for a while. But then the interest wanes, and I move on to something else. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen that usually these interests come around again. Whether it’s in a month, a few months, a year, a few years, normally at some point I’ll pick them up, dust them off (usually literally) and get right back into them. But over the years there have been a lot, and they’re still coming. So here’s a selection of the hobbies and interests I’ve had over the years:
- Making friendship bracelets (throughout elementary school)
- Reading (I have had down periods with this one – University was a big one. But now usually I have a couple of months out of the year where the desire to read abates, but then it comes back again.)
- Blogging (having a routine of doing this and a bit of an online community, even if a small one, keeps me going with it, even though it’s not growing or going anywhere)
- Knitting
- Sewing
- Crochet (my newest hobby)
- Creating homeschool activities and plans for my kid (during lockdown)
- Baking
- Make-up and skincare
- Drawing
- Graffiti
- Tattoos (I don’t have many, but I am always completely obsessed with them, and one day I’m sure I’ll have a lot more – they’re expensive, which is the main reason for not having more, that plus indecision)
- Studying random topics (like gender/feminism, race, sexology, mental illness, writers/writing, psychology, baby/child development, music, birth experiences/trauma, COVID-19, ADHD etc. etc. etc. – I always have something I’m into)
- Gardening
- Stenciling
- Collage
- Colouring
- Music
- Movies and TV (I have had periods where I watched a lot and enjoyed really thinking about them and discussing them with people in my life)
- Woodwork (with my Dad – I am scared of machines that could remove body parts or injure me as I’m prone to accidents, so I never became comfortable pursuing this much once I left home)
- Health (from various perspectives – I’ve had so many medical issues that I’ve tried to find out how to deal with them from any source I could)
- Photography
That’s just what I can remember off the top of my head. I’ve had lots and lots of hobbies and interests, some which have lasted in addition to reading and blogging (I still knit, crochet, bake from time to time, garden, and am always deep diving on something), others have not lasted in the same way. But they all served the same purposes – allowing me to lose myself in something that would let my mind simultaneously wander freely but also remain somewhat tethered to what my hands were doing OR occupying my mind and letting me feel that zinging that accompanies learning new things in a pleasing way. I actually like this about myself. I like that I know how to do random things like sew a pair of pyjamas or knit up a scarf or crochet small animals for my kid. I like that I can bake muffins or grow my own tomatoes. I like that I get to share these various random skills with my kid to see what we share, and that I don’t really run out of new ones to try. I hate that I have a really hard time finishing projects and that the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” absolutely and definitively describes me. So it’s a mixed bag, but I’ll take it. I like dabbling.
What about you guys? Any fellow neurodivergents out there with a similarly chequered hobbying past? Any of you share any interests or hobbies with me? What do you absolutely love to do?
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Wow, so many interesting hobbies! Oh, I used to love photography! I took a course in college and fell in-love with black-and-white film photography, but due to the cost and it becoming harder and harder to develop film (and not having anywhere in my house even slightly darkroom worthy) it just sort of fell by the wayside over time.
Same for me – I did a workshop for a weekend in high school and got a chance to take a bunch of photos and develop them. I always wanted to take it up as a permanent hobby but just didn’t have a good space for long – I moved quite a bit. Now with DSLR it’s more accessible, but I don’t feel inspired the same way! Hopefully at some point I’ll get back into it. I hope you do as well!
I keep meaning to get into crocheting. It sounds so interesting.
I’ve been meaning to as well for… let’s say a decade? More? Mostly I picked it up because I thought it might be easier to teach my kid than knitting. It wasn’t. But I became hooked (ha) and cannot stop! It’s actually pretty easy to learn thanks to YouTube, and if you want some limited help from the few things I’ve learned so far if you decide to give it a go, feel free to email me! Amugurumi (little animals and stuff) are the funnest and there are tons of really easy patterns that guide you through step by step on YouTube, so once you’ve learned stitches, that’s where I’d head next! Weirdly I found dishcloths hard as I’d confuse the first stitch and it would either get bigger or smaller! Good luck!
I still love to colour, I find it relieves stress and anxiety like nothing else. I also used to bake quite a bit when I was younger. I remember enjoying it but I suppose my interest waned.
Yeah, we went through a Great British Bake Off phase that led to a lot of baking… but it’s over now. I still bake, but generally just when required! Colouring is still a favourite in my home though, more because my kid LOVES it!