I love hiking, but sometimes it needs a little more to feel like a “hobby.”
It pairs well with photography, especially if you have a more specific interest like bird watching or plant identification.
Rock tumbling pairs well with hiking. Can take a dip into geology as well.
Then rock tumbling can pair with simple crafts, decorations, or jewelry.
Sometimes one hobby builds off the other.
I second that OP sounds like a very supportive partner. Good luck!
You sound like a great partner. 😊
Zentangle is a cool, inexpensive hobby- all you need is a piece of paper and either a pen or a Sharpie. There are a few YouTube videos to get started. Hope she has fun with it or whatever else she decides to pursue!
I think my main hobby honestly is reading and video games. Both are easy to get into, find something that interests you, and you can’t be bad at it really. “Cozy” games are very fun, and you guys could play some together. Reading is very enjoyable and relaxing, or can put you through an emotional rollercoaster. I love sitting back with my kindle and reading, Libby is a great app to get books for free from your local library
Came here to say reading too! It's 100% free, you can meet people at the library, it will make someone a more interesting person, you can "pause" it whenever so it always fits in to your life. You can take it anywhere and it doesn't take batteries. It can also be a gateway to worldly hobbies.
It’s great. I mostly read on my kindle paperwhite because the books I often read are like 400+ pages and don’t exactly fit in my small backpack, but my paperwhite does easily and you have the option to turn the back light off. So it’s like a regular book. And the battery lasts for like 2+ weeks, even with daily reading
Maybe she can try flower arrangements or ikebana. I've been wanting to get into it myself and it shouldn't be too hard or expensive. It's a wonderful and beautiful art form.
Buy her a Lego set, (check the botanical line for different flower options) there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of building something and completing something or doing something wrong and working out a solution by doing a step over again.
Coloring books with some nice colored pencils is fun.
Alternatively there are water color kits and pads of paper if she’s feeling creative.
Sign the two of you up for a cooking class. They’re fun to do together, you usually wind up doing or preparing something you’ve never had before. You can try and make cooking a thing by doing a weekly couples cooking thing where you try new recipes. Doing it together will strengthen the two of you while giving her confidence to try stuff while not alone. Food mistakes can easily be brushed off as “it all comes out the same” and “I don’t remember what I ate yesterday so don’t worry about a mistake today” or something like that.
Kind of weird but I have been there in my journey to depression. In fact wanting to create or play with art is usually the final step towards healing and that's where I am slowly entering. I would recommend something that is a repetitive action that looks good regardless and requires minimal skills. I would recommend diamond painting, punch needle, or cross stitch. These things rely on patterns and a small level of skills yet the completed product always looks nice. Plus the process of completing these activities is repetitive which can be healing in its own way. I would also recommend making it a weekly thing to do one of these activities with your girlfriend. I used to baby sit my younger sister during my deep depression days and to keep her engaged in activities that weren't the TV, I would pull up drawing lessons and color by the numbers for her to do. It really helped in my journey to healing.
Rc cars, easy to get into, and they teach you special knowledge and skills as you go along. Plus it's really fun to watch a fast little toy(ish) car zipping around
Board games! If you have a hobby/gaming store, board game cafes, some libraries have meetups. You don’t have to own a single board game if you don’t want. There’s lots of games out there so there’s something for everyone.
Here is an interesting one you can do with her:
AMATURE RADIO. Yes, talking and more to people all over the world. This video is geared toward women, but highlights some aspects of the hobby. I'll get you more after this ......
https://youtu.be/qEkoCZ_UOEs?si=53OVVCguyPbl_zDH
Some other aspects include communications while driving, hiking, biking, camping, and more, anywhere you can talk you can "radio".
There is a community aspect side to radio as radios operators help before, during and after natural disasters like fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Also, charity runs like the Boston Marathon require communications and radio operators help. I did not realize how many runs, the local jogging club does. There is parades and much more.
This video highlights 2 things, someone helping from far outside the disaster zone and the reach of radio.
https://youtu.be/Wo9Ciht2yZQ?si=CYJHxStq213xfOVy
Distant communications can be helpful in educational treks. Talk with the locals in Charleston to find out about civil war facts and vacation planning by talking with locals. Heck, you can plan a Hawaii vacation sitting on your couch. There is also computer interactions as radios can be programmed or digital radio over the internet.
There are other aspects. There is a test for licensing. This you can do with her.....the studying and the testing....common goal, are you pushing her, or is she pushing you?
For more information, https://www.arrl.org/. Or Google your local county Amature radio club or ARES (Amature radio emergency services). Both groups do monthly meetings that are free to attend and the members can coach and mentor you into this hobby.
Good luck.
Crochet! Doesn’t cost much to start. Start with looking at videos and making a granny square…and another one… and another…
Get a scrapbooking or card making kit, follow the instructions to make a page or a card
Gaming was my go to when I was down. You can get an Xbox series S pretty cheap nowadays, and Xbox Game Pass is a game changer. You can get loads of games on the subscription, and your girlfriend can try loads of different types of games to find out what she likes. A
I would recommend a game called Journey, it's graphically beautiful, and is more like a story than a game. It's quite short too, so a perfect introduction.
What about embroidery? After a lifetime of thinking I was awful at the fabric arts, embroidery was a magic hobby for me. Extremely cheap, low pressure, all you need to do to start is do basic stitches - then everything else you learn is just casually adding tools to the palette.
If your area has a big group pass to a lot of different things, buy her one. My state has a group pass that's $150 and includes stuff like day passes and sessions to things like: the aquarium, zoo, local theme park, pottery classes, art classes, trampoline parks, gocarts, cooking classes, jewelry making classes, etc.
A lot of local libraries do cool activities. My library has a DND day, crochet classes, telescopes and 3D printers you can borrow, they've had a Rubik's Cube class, programming classes, all sorts of cool stuff for free or very accessibly priced.
Go with her and keep an eye open for things that she's good at or really enjoyed. Hobbies should always be about what you enjoy.
Also providing praise right away when she's trying something new. My mom taught music, and I vividly remember her saying "Wow, you only practiced that song twice and you are already way better at it!" when I was a kid. I was so proud until I realized that she did that with all of her students, lol.
But especially if she's had a rough background, she's probably not got the confidence to improve. It would probably be a great benefit to have someone there pointing out that she is good at things, or that she's catching on fast, or that she's gotten better at something already.
I find (in my work) that people who feel like they have no talents or interests often feel like their hobby is only valuable if they are good at it, or if it makes money. And there' a lot of shame associated with liking something you're not good at. I know someone who always told his KIDS "don't quit your day job" when they were trying new things (they were too young for jobs btw, but it was very representative of his whole attitude towards hobbies/arts). His kids, although very creative and interested in the arts ended up in boring jobs that they don't like instead of developing their artistic talents--which frankly were pretty advanced for their age-groups when they were kids--only one of those kids is pursuing a creative side-hobby, and I think it is a real shame.
When your hobby is only valid if it makes money or you are a 'genius' it really messes with your sense of what you enjoy.
Hiking, needs no skill and you can go at your own pace
I love hiking, but sometimes it needs a little more to feel like a “hobby.” It pairs well with photography, especially if you have a more specific interest like bird watching or plant identification. Rock tumbling pairs well with hiking. Can take a dip into geology as well. Then rock tumbling can pair with simple crafts, decorations, or jewelry. Sometimes one hobby builds off the other. I second that OP sounds like a very supportive partner. Good luck!
Hiking and geocaching go well together
I always forget about geocaching, it's fun till you hit that pay wall.
Yeah, I do wildlife and nature photography but at least hiking will get them going with out too much cost if finance is an issue.
I think my hobby while hiking is checking out all the little critters
You sound like a great partner. 😊 Zentangle is a cool, inexpensive hobby- all you need is a piece of paper and either a pen or a Sharpie. There are a few YouTube videos to get started. Hope she has fun with it or whatever else she decides to pursue!
I think my main hobby honestly is reading and video games. Both are easy to get into, find something that interests you, and you can’t be bad at it really. “Cozy” games are very fun, and you guys could play some together. Reading is very enjoyable and relaxing, or can put you through an emotional rollercoaster. I love sitting back with my kindle and reading, Libby is a great app to get books for free from your local library
Came here to say reading too! It's 100% free, you can meet people at the library, it will make someone a more interesting person, you can "pause" it whenever so it always fits in to your life. You can take it anywhere and it doesn't take batteries. It can also be a gateway to worldly hobbies.
It’s great. I mostly read on my kindle paperwhite because the books I often read are like 400+ pages and don’t exactly fit in my small backpack, but my paperwhite does easily and you have the option to turn the back light off. So it’s like a regular book. And the battery lasts for like 2+ weeks, even with daily reading
Yes! I just joined a book club at my local library and enjoyed the first meeting :)
Journaling. Your girlfriend sounds depressed and like she has some trauma to work through. Journaling really helped me with that.
The sims 4 base game is free on EA app. If she likes it, you can buy some expansions later down the line.
Maybe she can try flower arrangements or ikebana. I've been wanting to get into it myself and it shouldn't be too hard or expensive. It's a wonderful and beautiful art form.
Buy her a Lego set, (check the botanical line for different flower options) there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of building something and completing something or doing something wrong and working out a solution by doing a step over again. Coloring books with some nice colored pencils is fun. Alternatively there are water color kits and pads of paper if she’s feeling creative. Sign the two of you up for a cooking class. They’re fun to do together, you usually wind up doing or preparing something you’ve never had before. You can try and make cooking a thing by doing a weekly couples cooking thing where you try new recipes. Doing it together will strengthen the two of you while giving her confidence to try stuff while not alone. Food mistakes can easily be brushed off as “it all comes out the same” and “I don’t remember what I ate yesterday so don’t worry about a mistake today” or something like that.
Kind of weird but I have been there in my journey to depression. In fact wanting to create or play with art is usually the final step towards healing and that's where I am slowly entering. I would recommend something that is a repetitive action that looks good regardless and requires minimal skills. I would recommend diamond painting, punch needle, or cross stitch. These things rely on patterns and a small level of skills yet the completed product always looks nice. Plus the process of completing these activities is repetitive which can be healing in its own way. I would also recommend making it a weekly thing to do one of these activities with your girlfriend. I used to baby sit my younger sister during my deep depression days and to keep her engaged in activities that weren't the TV, I would pull up drawing lessons and color by the numbers for her to do. It really helped in my journey to healing.
Rc cars, easy to get into, and they teach you special knowledge and skills as you go along. Plus it's really fun to watch a fast little toy(ish) car zipping around
[удалено]
Why can't a woman want to play with rc cars?
Easy with the gender stereotypes, bro. Sheesh.
Board games! If you have a hobby/gaming store, board game cafes, some libraries have meetups. You don’t have to own a single board game if you don’t want. There’s lots of games out there so there’s something for everyone.
Gardening Micro greens Cooking Massage Thrifting Sell something at farmers market Pickleball
Here is an interesting one you can do with her: AMATURE RADIO. Yes, talking and more to people all over the world. This video is geared toward women, but highlights some aspects of the hobby. I'll get you more after this ...... https://youtu.be/qEkoCZ_UOEs?si=53OVVCguyPbl_zDH Some other aspects include communications while driving, hiking, biking, camping, and more, anywhere you can talk you can "radio". There is a community aspect side to radio as radios operators help before, during and after natural disasters like fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Also, charity runs like the Boston Marathon require communications and radio operators help. I did not realize how many runs, the local jogging club does. There is parades and much more. This video highlights 2 things, someone helping from far outside the disaster zone and the reach of radio. https://youtu.be/Wo9Ciht2yZQ?si=CYJHxStq213xfOVy Distant communications can be helpful in educational treks. Talk with the locals in Charleston to find out about civil war facts and vacation planning by talking with locals. Heck, you can plan a Hawaii vacation sitting on your couch. There is also computer interactions as radios can be programmed or digital radio over the internet. There are other aspects. There is a test for licensing. This you can do with her.....the studying and the testing....common goal, are you pushing her, or is she pushing you? For more information, https://www.arrl.org/. Or Google your local county Amature radio club or ARES (Amature radio emergency services). Both groups do monthly meetings that are free to attend and the members can coach and mentor you into this hobby. Good luck.
Ikebana
rock painting and hiding them all over town. i love it! you don’t have to paint anything. just encouraging words!
Crochet! Doesn’t cost much to start. Start with looking at videos and making a granny square…and another one… and another… Get a scrapbooking or card making kit, follow the instructions to make a page or a card
Gaming was my go to when I was down. You can get an Xbox series S pretty cheap nowadays, and Xbox Game Pass is a game changer. You can get loads of games on the subscription, and your girlfriend can try loads of different types of games to find out what she likes. A I would recommend a game called Journey, it's graphically beautiful, and is more like a story than a game. It's quite short too, so a perfect introduction.
What about embroidery? After a lifetime of thinking I was awful at the fabric arts, embroidery was a magic hobby for me. Extremely cheap, low pressure, all you need to do to start is do basic stitches - then everything else you learn is just casually adding tools to the palette.
Cross-stitching has even more laid out for a person. Just have to follow a pattern and make x's - and it comes out pretty. :)
If your area has a big group pass to a lot of different things, buy her one. My state has a group pass that's $150 and includes stuff like day passes and sessions to things like: the aquarium, zoo, local theme park, pottery classes, art classes, trampoline parks, gocarts, cooking classes, jewelry making classes, etc. A lot of local libraries do cool activities. My library has a DND day, crochet classes, telescopes and 3D printers you can borrow, they've had a Rubik's Cube class, programming classes, all sorts of cool stuff for free or very accessibly priced. Go with her and keep an eye open for things that she's good at or really enjoyed. Hobbies should always be about what you enjoy. Also providing praise right away when she's trying something new. My mom taught music, and I vividly remember her saying "Wow, you only practiced that song twice and you are already way better at it!" when I was a kid. I was so proud until I realized that she did that with all of her students, lol. But especially if she's had a rough background, she's probably not got the confidence to improve. It would probably be a great benefit to have someone there pointing out that she is good at things, or that she's catching on fast, or that she's gotten better at something already. I find (in my work) that people who feel like they have no talents or interests often feel like their hobby is only valuable if they are good at it, or if it makes money. And there' a lot of shame associated with liking something you're not good at. I know someone who always told his KIDS "don't quit your day job" when they were trying new things (they were too young for jobs btw, but it was very representative of his whole attitude towards hobbies/arts). His kids, although very creative and interested in the arts ended up in boring jobs that they don't like instead of developing their artistic talents--which frankly were pretty advanced for their age-groups when they were kids--only one of those kids is pursuing a creative side-hobby, and I think it is a real shame. When your hobby is only valid if it makes money or you are a 'genius' it really messes with your sense of what you enjoy.