Cottage Lifestyle Hobbies that Reduce Stress

July 21, 2020. If you know me well then you know I am a hobby enthusiast. It’s a family thing. Memories of going to Central Oregon to collect long pine needles, so my mom could make pine needle baskets still linger. And then there was the stage where she carved mini pliers out of super-tiny pieces of wood. Of course, with all this influence I got an early start with hobbies. Mom’s sewing scraps that dropped on the floor became my new interest and from there my love of sewing took off. Over the years I have had many hobbies because I love making things and learning things out here in our charming forest home. And our natural surroundings feed that creative spirit. So, today I want to share some cottage lifestyle hobbies that reduce stress and are soothing to the spirit.

The nature of a hobby is to learn something new and develop an outside interest. Hobbies are generally considered beneficial as well as a good way to decompress from everyday challenges. Think of hobbies as a healthy form of escapism. The bad part about hobbies is that many are expensive or very involved. A great example of this point is soapmaking (big throat clear). Soapmaking is not as cheap as some would think. Of course, many are well into this hobby before they discover this. Additionally, you can only use so much soap or give so much of it away. Pretty soon you are flooded in soap and need to start a business (lol!). Today I wanted to talk about cottage lifestyle hobbies that reduce stress and don’t take a lot of money and space or force you to start a business.

cottage lifestyle Hobbies that reduce stress

Here are some hobbies that are guaranteed to help you indulge in some healthy escapism from the world’s woes for a while. Having an outlet to mentally relax helps you to engage better when you are ready to return to the world. There are so many ways to do this, but I have chosen some especially great cottage lifestyle hobbies that reduce stress!

Grow an herb garden. My love affair with herb gardening has gone on for years now. There is a kitchen garden as well, but it is my herb garden that captures most of my attention. I can’t quite explain the love of growing soothing, calming herbs, but I highly recommend it. When you see the tiny, white, daisy-like heads of chamomile dotting the garden or smell sweet lavender in the air you feel peaceful. Take a book and go out and sit and admire the oregano with its purple pink flowers. Rub a lemon verbena leaf between your fingers and breathe it in. Many herbs are easy to grow from seeds although some may require an early indoor start depending on the climate. This is not difficult with a sunny window. Many of these herbs reseed themselves, so you don’t have to buy a bunch of plants.

Learn about herbalism. Of course, if you grow an herb garden you may want to learn what the herbs do which may lead to a new-found interest in herbalism (no one I know here). Reading about the lore of herbs and anecdotal uses as well as how to prepare them is a fascinating art. Drying herbs, making tinctures, and syrups are all mind-soothing activities. Next thing you know you will be marching down to the local elderberry tree to make some homemade elderberry syrup!

Herbalism is a fascinating subject, and if you want to learn more there are some great online courses. This beginner’s course here is one that I really enjoyed. Classes do cost some money if you go that route, but it’s not a requirement. There are plenty of free online books that will also give you an herbal education. And of course, the internal satisfaction as well as stress-reducing benefits of drinking your own home-grown chamomile tea is just wonderful!

Make some pasta. This is the newest hobby I have taken on around here and it’s amazing how soothing this mindless activity is. You don’t need expensive equipment for this either. I found a metal pasta roller at a local discount store for $20 and it’s great! Rolling out the dough until it is super thin and then rolling it through the cutter quickly became addicting. Hand cranking that dough over and over until it was pliable and then the final cut through the roller is something many will find appealing. Rolling out a table full of pasta is quite a mindless, soothing activity. Making pasta dough is not hard either and here is a helpful tutorial with pictures that I used.

Learn to sew. This hobby has a reputation for being expensive, but that’s only if you get into a fabric buying obsession or want a top of the line equipment. For years I worked on a cheap Costco sewing machine on which I turned out slipcovers made of inexpensive white denim for furniture or budget-friendly muslin to make sheets for the bed. As far as resources go Tilly and the Buttons is a cute website that I have used. It is user friendly for those just starting with great picture tutorials and videos. It is quite a satisfying experience to know that you sewed something.

Quilting. This is a wonderful subcategory of sewing and is a great way to use up scraps. I have many homemade quilts in our closet made from scraps. These keep us nice and warm during the winter. If you already sew and have a growing scrap closet then you may want to consider quilting. Even if you don’t sew quilting is a friendly introduction to sewing and is eco friendly if you use scraps or old clothing, etc. You can make some beautiful pieces of work this way. Pick up a quilting book for basic quilting skills at the thrift store or look at online lessons at sites such as Skill Share.

Ribbon Embroidery. Years ago I had a brief stint with needle embroidery as I was enchanted with its lovely art of sewing with tiny ribbons. This form of needlework has been around for quite a while. The images of the creation of intricate flowers, leafs, etc. had me going out for supplies instantly. There are some exquisite examples of ribbon embroidery and lessons can be found on sites such as the above mentioned Skill Share. You can also find a free lesson with the basic stitches here. This hobby is a fun one!

Knitting is fun. It was a sad day when I had to lay off the knitting. Actually, I have had to cool it on many hobbies because my hands just can’t take the abuse anymore. That’s what a hobby enthusiast gets for her obsessions. However, knitting is fun, soothing, and mindless once you get the hang of it. This is my favorite knitting website for learning new stitches because the videos are easy to follow. It is an enormously helpful resource, especially if you are a visual learner. I found myself referencing it many, many times when. This hobby also gets a bonus for being portable.

Sketching. Now we get into hobbies I never got into, but I know are hobbies that reduce stress because of my family. The talent for sketching/painting runs heavy in my family; however, it skipped over me. I also just didn’t get into it the way I did with other hobbies. But other family members did. A simple artist’s quality pen and blank journal was grandma’s way of tuning out the world for a while. Grandma loved filling her sketch books with local Oregon scenes that inspired her. A few years ago, I learned my daughter had this sketching talent, and she has done some beautiful sketches on the walls of her bedroom. Go on a hike and take a blank journal with you and artistically record what you see. Like anything else, sketching takes practice, so if you enjoy it then keep at it.

Watercolors. Although I have dabbled in this it is a hobby I gave up on because it just doesn’t appear that I possess the painting gene either. Maybe if I had worked at it longer….That being said, I still recommend it as a stress-reducing hobby. You don’t need a lot to get started and the way that watercolor filled brush slides across a page is soothing. Watercolors are so, well, colorful. And the fact that they are more abstract makes it more approachable than attempted to do a real life acrylic or oil painting. I personally, feel watercolors are a user-friendly introduction to art and far less formidable than oils or acrylics. My mom is an acrylics artist herself. Should you desire to pick up a brush here is an article that has lots of links to watercolor techniques and tutorials. This article also has beginning water coloring resources.

Become an explorer. We all have childhood memories of exploring new places, but what about as adults? Have we lost our sense of wonder? Reengage with your inner child and go exploring adult style. For example, hiking is a great way to explore nature. You can explore in a cosmopolitan way as well by visiting historic sites, museums, or unique shops. If you are concerned about COVID-19 find out which museums offer virtual tours. And how about driving around and looking at architecture or old houses? Hiking alongside a creek fed by a waterfall is one of my favorite things to do and an enchanting way to spend the afternoon. The point here is that exploring is limitless. Find what interests you and make a plan! Best of all, you won’t fill your house with homemade products!