Just wondering what hobbies you ladies have?
I am trying to take care of myself a bit and figured that investing time in a hobby would help me keep my mind a bit sane (I'm in a verbally abusive marriage...) I have never really had any hobbies/ past times. When I was little my parents didn't have money to send me to lessons, in my 20s I was workaholic, now I dedicate every minute of my life to my 2 young kids. I'm trying to get my life back together. What hobbies do you enjoy? I live in California if that helps with ideas of things to do.
thanks for any ideas
I work with kids, so kid crafts are so fun! Look on pinterest.com for some fun ideas.
For me, I scrapbook, garden, do household crafts, and the tomboy side of me loves to play video games. I could spend an entire day playing the wii and not even realize it. :)
I wish you the best!
I play the piano. It's one of the best ways to relax. It uses your mind, your eyes, your hands, your ears. When I play music, it consumes me and I don't think of anything else.
Since you are in an abusive marriage, have you considered investing in a hobby to help you cope more directly with that stress? How about joining a support group? Our local domestic violence shelter has a weekly group that meets with a counselor. There is no charge for it and it is helpful to talk with other women who have experienced abuse, whether physical or emotional. Perhaps you can find a similar group in your area.
First of all, let me say that I am sorry you have a verbally abusive husband.
Before I had kids, I would tell you to divorce him but now that I have kids of my own & almost got divorced, I think a little bit more about what I am willing do/give up.
Of course, if it's harmful for the kids, I say get out. The problem is.......in most 50 states the ex gets the kids 50/50. That is worrisome in a lot of cases. So if he's good to the kids, I understand.
Hobbies? There are a bazillion things for you to do. It all depends upon your interests: what YOU like to do.
You could:
read
walk the great outdoors (be safe)
volunteer
knit
golf
paint on canvas
make your own greeting cards
workout
go to garage sales (don't p/u junk & have a limit)
organize
sew
put together a scrap book of your life (for your kids)
do a little geneology (sp?) background check on your family just for fun
have a garage sale
make a photo collage
lk @ Michael's craft store for a class
study a new language
re-decorate (move things around) your home w/o spending $
sketch
write a newsletter for your family regarding the fun things you & your kids
do
have a picnic
take your kids to the park
I like to:
walk
use my treadmill
meet w/a girlfriend for dinner once in a blue moon
read
write
continuously try to de-clutter my home. ;)
I try to learn a new language
watch my few fave tv shows
Try everything honey & have fun. Enjoy your life! :)
scrapbook....I'm 49 & I'm working my way thru both of my parent's lives, my life, my sons.....& the list goes on & on! It's a very time-consuming process. Organization is key!
Last night, I took a fused glass jewelry class. LOVED it! Made 10 pendants for Christmas gifts.....well, that's if they make it thru the kiln. I'll know more next week when I go back to attach the brackets & pick out the chains/cords for the necklaces.
I am in a city chamber choir. I love it! Every Tuesday night we have a 2.5 hour rehearsal, and we put on a few concerts through thr year. It is my stress relief for the week :-)
Martial Arts--really I'm a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. You and the kids could take lessons together and move up the belt ranks. Daddy will go to testings and when he sees that Mommy can break boards he might learn to curb his mouth. Marial Arts will also help with self esteem and self confidence and maybe help you find a way out of this marriage.
I read a LOT, and I love movies. My husband has to go to bed early, so occasionally I will take myself to a movie. I do community theater (both acting and technical work). For most of my life, photography was a hobby, but now I get paid for it. I also write a blog. Kudos to you for trying to find what interests you! Best wishes!
((Me too, with the whole abusive marriage thing. 2 years ago this fall I said 'Screw it! I'm going to start doing things that make ME happy!'. Not that I didn't before... but you know how easy it is to have your entire life become about keeping HIM happy so he's not such a prick, and the rest of the time is kids and house and responsibilities and balance/happiness is so far out the window as to be in the middle of the street hit by one car after the next. WHATEVER it is you choose to do... make sure it's all about you. If you can bring the kids and have fun, great (like my son and I snowboard, but we started when he was 7, so it's not like I had to be constantly hovering/minding. And if he didn't like it -our first year- I was totally prepped to still go on my own. He LOVES it, which makes it nice. We have something we can do together that's not me watching him do something, but both of us doing something)... but my point is to make it about you. Not him or them. Something purely your own. Something that makes YOU happy, instead of having to be concerned about other people's happiness 100% of the time.)).
PERSONALLY (And know I started with ONE thing 2 years ago -snowboarding, this will be my 3rd winter in the snow), and now I have this really rich and varied mental/physical life):
I just started shooting again. (firearms, haven't since I got married - aka 10 years ago)
Photography
Writing
Snowboarding (winter). When I lived in SoCal I surfed. Up here, one needs a drysuit. Nope. Uh-uh. Not gonna do it.
Swimming/Sailing (summertime)
Feeding the Elephant's child. (aka learning. I homeschool, and I'm IN school... so both require quite a lot of research/work... it's different when it's just learning for fun, or because it's something I've always wanted to do. Like right now, I'm learning Arabic and Latin. And studying forgeries and art crime. And all about pistols -see #1. And whatever else catches my fancy. For 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 months. Fun fun.)
1000 piece puzzles (believe it or not, very relaxing)
golf (where I live there is only one, and it's not very well taken care of) it's been about 2 years since I've been on the course, but I miss a lot.
I want to learn to sew and knit, and have my ow veggie garden.
I enjoy reading. Once I found J D Robb books all others pale in comparison, ever Nora Roberts regular books don't seem to keep my interest. The ones she writes as J D Robb are not regular trashy romance novels. They are deep dark dark dark murder mystery's and when I get a new one I can't put it down.
I like to sew. I often win prizes at the county fair on the garments I make. BUT, to keep little hands off the machines and out of the sewing supplies like pins, scissors, pattern pieces, etc...I have to do the sewing in a room I can come out of and shut the door where no one can go in at all and mess up my stuff.
I enjoy reclining on the bed and listening to relaxation tapes, once I have got back in the habit I enjoy it, when I an out of the habit I find it annoying and stressful. But I know if I make myself do it enough times I will realize I am sitting there with a rolled up towel under my neck and my shoulders are not touching my earlobes and I am breathing deep and slow, WOOHOO!!!! I am relaxed finally.
I enjoy watching TV, I live watching way too many shows but when I find the time I like to get swept away to a place where all kinds of things take my mind off my worries. I like The Closer, Rizzoli and Isles, NCIS, Burn Notice, Eureka, Dancing With The Stars, Castle, Criminal Minds, Say Yes To The Dress, Psych, just a variety of tv shows to fill my mind with useless entertainment..
I used to be able to do scrapbooking. Before kiddos. Unless I have that silly empty room that is just for my unfinished crafts that can have the door shut.
I also enjoy going out with my friends, I have a wonderful set of friends that are supportive and loving and giving. I am truly blessed.
I also play the piano and find it enjoyable. As you gain skill, you can allow your emotions to come through your music which can be cathartic. Another instrument might be as good. Guitars, for example, are generally less expensive, take up less space and are easy to carry from place to place.
Some people love scrapbooking. You have something pretty and interesting after spending a few hours. Plus all those pictures you took of the kids are now easier to look at and more readily available. These days, you can even do your stuff on-line.
When I want to escape, I read. As long as a library is fairly close to you, you don't even have to purchase anything.
Hope these ideas help. You have my sympathy living with the verbal abuse. You might want to consider what messages you are sending your children by tolerating it and how to combat those messages. They understand more than we give them credit for even when they are quite small.
I cross stitch a lot. I cook and bake, I occasionally crochet, I read a lot (and belong to a book club) and enjoy going to craft fairs and the theater. I also cross country ski but I don't imagine people do much of that in Cali.
If you are trying to get your life back together I would start by finding a way to get out of this situation you are in, instead of finding a hobby to bide your time. Verbal abuse isn't something I take lightly, as it always has the dangerous lead into physical abuse. Do you have a person you can confide in and talk to about your situation. I understand that you have young children, however, what message are you sending them? Find the confidence in yourself.
I'm sorry but finding hobbies and then stating you are in an abusive relationship all in once sentence is a bit much for me. It's not like I can tell you to take some pictures, or learn to crochet, or something like that, when their is a bigger issue here.
I would suggest to find a support group to join, it may give you some insight, as well as the confidence in yourself to realize you are worth so much more then the situation you are in, as well as establish some friendships.
Personally I enjoy sewing: home decorations and clothing. It makes me concentrate specifically on what I am trying to create since its so exacting.
Your other sentence worries me..verbally abusive marriage. I doubt any hobby will take your mind off of that. I live in Cali also and as you probably know there is a therapist on every corner. Maybe find one you like and talk to them? Gets you out of the house, gives you a place to vent, helps you evaluate the realistic options for change given your personal situation. If you are religious, lots of churches have groups meetings for marital issues and you may meet some women in your same situation who may be of support and encouragement to you. This may be much better for you than a hobby. Contact me privately if you wish. I am more than willing to lend you a supportive ear. As always, YMMV, but my thoughts and prayers are with you.
If you're trying to take care of yourself, then figure out whether your husband can change or not. Is there any chance he could NOT verbally abuse you (and your children?)? Would he be willing to see someone in order to help him change? If not, then get OUT. Once you're in a healthy environment, taking care of yourself will begin organically.
And as for me, hot Vinyasa yoga. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Good for the body and mind.
Reading. I can read anything and everything. Historical romances to political thrillers to biographies.
I like to scrapbook only b/c I get to look at pictures of all the people I love and all the fun and memorable things we've done. But my scrapbooking is basically trimming a picture, slapping it on a scrapbook page, writing pertinent info on it, and maybe slapping a few stickers on the page. I don't do any of that fancy paper and artwork and embellishments unless its a extra special or memorable occassion.
I love to work in my flower garden. Its very therapeutic for me to dig my hands in the dirt, pick out leaves and fluff the mulch.
I workout too. I guess that's a hobby. I try to do an hour in the morning and an hour at night. I sleep better, that's for sure.
gl to you. Hope things get bettter once you find your interest.
Excercise is the hobby that I get the most out of. It's a great stress reliever and makes me feel more powerful and assertive.
I love to cook
I also make a hobby out of entertaining my kids for cheap. I love to find free or cheap activities for the family. It's great fun to find a free concert, pack a lunch and take the kids and da. I make a game of finding the best, coolest, cheapest entertainment. Just a little internet searching and planning but it gives me something to do and something to look forward to and fills my scrapbooks with great pictures.
I collected rocks and shells from the Mendocino coast. Whenever we went out, we "camped" in the back of my jeep (me and two small boys). Me and the boys have the best memories of CA (having just moved to Idaho). Also, reading. You can really get educated about your marriage and his problems. or use it purely as an escape. I know it sounds kooky, but romance novels can really take you away. Any type of novel, really.