8 Slow Living Hobbies to Help You Slow Down
Living in such a fast-paced world, we tend to forget the importance of having hobbies. Some might think they are a waste of time, but hobbies help us in many ways. A great way to slowing down and focusing on the moment is by embracing slow living hobbies.
Research has proved that hobbies improve our mental health, by spending time doing the things we enjoy. By making more time for hobbies, it can help people from feeling down or depressed. Hobbies make you happier.
Hobbies can help reduce stress, improve mental health, improve relationships, and much more. However, I find that often times reasons why people tell me they don’t have a hobby is because they either don’t have the time or don’t know what they enjoy.
But don’t worry, I have blog posts coming to help busy moms make time for hobbies and how you can discover what hobby works best for you.
Truthfully, any hobby can help you slow down, but there are specific hobbies that force you to slow down.
I should add that these aren’t the only slow living hobbies. There are plenty of hobbies out there that require you to slow down, and can be categorized as slow living. Here on East Coast Slow Living, we try to focus on creative hands-on hobbies to help YOU slow down, so incorporating these specific hobbies made the most sense.
What is Slow Living?
Before we can dive into slow living hobbies, let’s first discuss what slow living is.
From my blog post on What is Slow Living, I go into much more detail about slow living. But to give a quick blurb from the post:
Truthfully, even though a lot of people consider it to be a lifestyle, slow living is more of a mindset. It’s not about abandoning technology or moving to a rural community. Sure, those things might help, but that isn’t going to make you live slower.
A slow-living lifestyle or a slow-living mindset is about living a balanced and mindful life.
Slow living is set on balancing your life, being able to balance the fast and slow. It’s about taking a slower approach to life. Instead of speeding somewhere, drive slower. Instead of making an instant meal that takes a few minutes, make a meal that involves ingredients and take the time to cook. Smell the aromas of the food that so many people haven’t smelled in their homes because of the quick meal idea.
Embrace the time you are given and don’t rush.
Related Post: What is Slowing and How Will it Better Myself
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Slow Living Hobbies
First off, what’s the difference between just a plain ol’ hobby and slow living hobbies?
Slow living hobbies force you to slow down.
For example, hobbies that typically involve fitness tend to be fast-paced like running and dancing. You want to reach your distance goal as fast as possible for running, and you want to make sure your steps are right on beat. Sure, you can attempt to slow down, but it won’t give you the same effect as slow-living hobbies.
Do you have to pick a slow living hobby to slow down? Nope. Truthfully, any hobby can give you same benefits as a slower hobby, however, on East Coast Slow Living, we are focusing on slowing down and focusing on the moment, while of course incorporating (mostly) creative hobbies. Creative hands-on hobbies tend to help us slow down because we need to focus.
Knitting
By far my favourite hobby is knitting. Knitting makes you slow down a lot as it requires a lot of concentration.
Knitting, like most hobbies, can help with depression & anxiety. It is VERY therapeutic. In fact, I brought back my creative hobbies after having a long hiatus from them. I utilized my hobbies as a form of therapy.
I experienced a very traumatic miscarriage in 2020 that lasted almost 6 months. At my wit’s end and not knowing how to feel happy or like myself again, I first brought back knitting after not knitting for almost a decade. By doing so, I slowed down a lot and was able to help my mental health immensely. I thank knitting for helping me through a very traumatic part of my life.
Related Blog Posts: Everything you need to know about knitting needles
There are so many more benefits for knitting, but I don’t want this blog post to just be focused on knitting, as knitting isn’t for everyone.
Beginner Friendly & Affordable Knitting Supplies
Crochet
A great hobby for someone who is fast-paced and has a hard time slowing down is crochet.
Why?
Simple, crocheting is SO much faster than knitting. You can finish a large crochet project in about a week, whereas knitting is going to take much longer. Finishing a product can help increase your self-esteem & confidence.
There are some downfalls though to crocheting, like crazy hand cramps. This is why I don’t crochet as often as knitting, and I make sure to take lots of breaks. But don’t be discouraged, crocheting is lots of fun and very soothing.
As knitting, crocheting is very meditative and can help reduce stress & anxiety.
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Embroidery
A hobby full of patience, even more than knitting I think, is embroidery.
While I do enjoy embroidery, it’s not a hobby that I love and want to do every day. But that is the beauty of finding your hobby! I may not reach for it a lot, but someone else certainly will.
Embroidery relies on concentration. Most embroidery I’ve done is drawn up and created by myself, so because of this, I don’t know exactly how the outcome is going to turn out. But because of this, I have to really concentrate on where I’m guiding the needle and how the thread is laying on the fabric.
You can elevate a handmade sewed, knitted, or crocheted piece by adding in a little embroidered detail, which in return, would again increase your self-esteem & confidence even more!
Beginner Friendly & Affordable Embroidery Supplies
Cross Stitching
Another hobby that is full of patience, but not as much needed as embroidery is cross-stitching.
Cross stitching and embroidery are very similar and often get mistaken for the other. Embroidery tends to be a 3D artwork that is threaded in fibre, whereas, cross stitching is just a bunch of X’s typically stitched in aida cloth.
Cross stitching was very much a dying craft, especially with the growth of embroidery. However, these past few years, cross-stitching is slowly coming back.
I’ve always enjoyed cross-stitching over embroidery because I find it more similar to knitting. The mediative movement of going back and forth to create an X, gives me the same relaxing effect as knitting.
Beginner Friendly & Affordable Cross Stitching Supplies
Sewing
Often whenever I mention sewing as a slower hobby, I tend to have people say:
“But it’s so quick! You can finish a piece in a few hours!”
While yes this is true, however, rushing any type of handmade piece can cause flaws. Especially sewing. By rushing a sewing project, you can jam your machine, your stitches won’t be straight, your seam allowance will be off, and lots more flaws. When you literally push the pedal to the metal, it often causes issues.
This is why making sure that you sew slowly is so important. When you get that practice in while creating slowly, your project will come out much cleaner than if rushed. And don’t be discouraged if your stitches are uneven when you’re a beginner, you’re a beginner! It’s not going to be perfect.
Related Blog Posts: How to make a pillow insert
However, sewing small projects like a pillow insert is a great way to practice your sewing. The more you practice, the cleaner your projects will come out. And this goes for ALL creative hobbies.
Sewing, like most of these hobbies, can help relieve stress, better your hand-eye coordination, and improve your happiness.
Beginner Friendly & Affordable Sewing Supplies
Reading
Technically, reading isn’t a hands-on creative hobby. However, reading can help you slow down a lot and stimulate your brain in ways that these other hobbies can not.
A study was conducted on readers using MRI scans and they found that as a reader delved deeper into reading, more areas of their brain were working. Reading can rewire your brain. It can help you process information, which in return can assist in learning.
I guess you could say I’m helping stimulate your brain right now. You don’t have to pick a book to start reading, you could read a blog (like you’re doing right now!), or even the newspaper. Taking those few minutes to read something each day can help us stay in the moment.
Slow Living Books To Read
Drawing
Grabbing a sketchbook and sitting down on your couch after setting up a still life in your window is an amazing way to slow down. You need to focus on the silhouette of the objects and the shadows they are casting.
Even taking a picture of something, and then utilizing that for your drawing could also work.
Like all the hobbies that I’ve listed above, drawing can help with stress and improve brain activity. Drawing can also help your memory, and has been proven to help Alzheimer’s. With that also I will say that lots of hands-on actitives can help with Alzheimer’s.
Beginner Friendly & Affordable Drawing Supplies
Painting
Lastly, painting. Very similar to drawing, except having to pay closer attention to colour details.
Painting is another great way to help stimulate your brain, improve your memory, and also help with problem-solving. It’s also a great way to learn about colour concepts, which can help with lots of different crafts. Learning what colours complement each other can help elevate your creative projects.
Beginner Friendly & Affordable Painting Supplies
Picking Your Hobby
Finding what hobby works best for you takes time and patience. You won’t find it right away.
With lots of practice towards a hobby, you’ll enjoy it more. You just can’t give up or become discouraged when it doesn’t turn out the way you envisioned. I have plenty of creative hobbies that I like to reach for like knitting, sewing, crocheting, and more. But I didn’t get to where I’m at by just creating one piece. It’s taken me time to reach the levels I have, and you can reach them too!
Just don’t get discouraged, start something small, and have fun!
Happy slow crafting,
Kate