Self

13 Fall & Winter Pandemic Hobby Ideas

Fall means knitting cozy things, painting watercolors, and other inside activities.

by JR Thorpe
A close up of balls of yarn. This article details pandemic hobbies to do during the winter.
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A lot of people have discovered new indoor hobbies during the COVID-19 pandemic, from knitting to yoga to full-fledged DIY. As the weather gets colder again, 13 people tell Bustle about the practices they're excited to pick back up.

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"Engaging in any hobby that you enjoy and that focuses your attention can help mitigate the negative effects of stress," Dr. Julia Blank M.D., a physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, tells Bustle. "Hobbies focus a person's attention away from the stressor and can be soothing."

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"To ensure I would have a steady food supply throughout lockdown without going to the shops, I started doing Proper Cooking: I read recipe books, plan meals, and batch-cook. It’s become a highlight of self-care — it brightens every day to have good food that I made for myself."

Kitty, 32

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"I was already starting to run role-playing games about six months before the country shut down, but I do it a lot more now. Also I’ve started DMing [running] actual Dungeons and Dragons games."

Sarah, 34

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"Personally, I rediscovered watercolor painting and drawing, coincidentally after my mom started painting again during lockdown. I also started yoga and Pilates at home every evening, which really help me decompress after a long day at the desk."

Federica, 30s

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"Tie dye... And I'm not gonna stop until everyone I know is clad in rainbows."

Becky, 33

"I've become a humongous dork and regressed to my childhood to play video games (well, primarily Stardew Valley) and have picked up gardening. I’m definitely going to keep playing. I can’t handle the real world."

Satya, 30s

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"Islamic geometric art/watercolor painting. It’s basically DIY coloring-in and following tutorials. Samira Mian’s tutorials are super beginner-friendly and Art of Islamic Pattern have been running amazing online classes throughout lockdown where you can learn to create seriously complex patterns."

Jennifer, 32

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"I’ve really started to enjoy cleaning. It's the one activity that brings me a sense of achievement and fulfillment, and helps me to feel calmer and more in control of my circumstances. Cleaning is the one time I don’t feel guilty about leaving the kids with dad so it’s my me time these days."

Jacqueline, 33

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"As someone who thrives in a productive and busy environment, I struggled with lockdown. Naturally (like everyone else) I was baking away, and turned my hobby into a business. I'm now selling at a farmers market in Rye, NY."

Kara, 28

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"Finally figuring out how to play the piano! I finally love it, and I'm so much better than I ever was."

Susana, 30s

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"Powerlifting! I can almost deadlift my own body weight, but can only lift half body weight in bench and squats. But I have consistently made progress each week, which feels AMAZING!"

Jenn, 40

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"I started doing yoga daily and decided to get my yoga teacher training certificate as well."

Mae, 28

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"I learned to sew! I'm deep in it. Never leaving."

Verity, 20s

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"I am very excited to start sewing warm clothes again now that the fall temperatures have finally arrived. Learning to sew can be pretty easy even without prior knowledge. I also really enjoy making small blankets for expecting friends with cute motifs."

Linda, 28