Featured image: Nicola Cutts & Olivia Taberner
Watching a movie, scrolling through social media and playing video games can be fun, but sometimes, you just want to slow down and disconnect from a screen. Where better to begin than with a magazine that you’re holding? Here are five analogue hobbies that will kick off a much needed digital detox. It’s time to go analogue and time to get real!
Scrapbooking and junk journaling
Grab an old notebook and fill it with something – anything. Scrapbooks and junk journals don’t have rules you need to follow: combine colours, textures and elements you have never seen together before. Write a poem. Dedicate pages to your loved ones. Collect your train tickets for an entire year. The idea is to fill it with anything that captures your attention: shopping lists, receipts, photos, things you find lying around. It does not have to be perfect, it just needs to be expressive and liberating.
Creative, hands-on activities
Ever pondered why grandmas are so zen? It could be down to so-called “grandma hobbies”, which activate the brain while reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Try crocheting, sewing or knitting. Learning these skills gets you away from the digital world for hours at a time. The materials are fairly inexpensive, and there are plenty of instruction books to get you started. Crafting with your hands helps you disconnect from concerns while exercising your brain. It may seem slow or even tedious at times, but the end result is worth it.
Bring out your inner cook
Being in a constant rush can make the food you eat and the time spent making it an afterthought. Don’t let that happen. Buy a cookbook, make a meal that reminds you of your childhood, or recreate a dish from your favourite movie. Cooking forces you to concentrate, fuels your problem-solving skills, and you get to eat great food and end up with a nice-smelling flat. Spending time in the kitchen is not a waste of your day – cut the scrolling time and make a good meal.
Play brain games
In the spirit of bringing back physical media, take the opportunity to challenge yourself and improve your concentration skills with a brain game. Sudoku, word searches, and puzzles are hobbies that test your intellect, and can be found in lots of non-digital forms. You’ll be surprised how well these can help your memory and critical thinking skills. And it’s not just a solo hobby: compete with friends to see who ends up being the sudoku champion, start a puzzle night and see who can get the most done under a time limit.
Move your body
This is the simplest (and cheapest) way to enjoy the real world. It can be as easy as going on a colour walk, signing up for a yoga class, or simply dancing around your house. After spending hours staring at a screen, your body craves movement. After all, that’s what it was made for. It is impressive how going on a hike or for a swim can lift your mood up. Try to be grateful for your body, give yourself some peace of mind and start a habit of moving. Trust us, you’ll appreciate it when you’re older.
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