Hobby is a delightful way for us to connect with our passion, identity, creativity and as well as each other. It helps us to find ways to stay mentally and physically active. And in this corona era when we are indefinitely spending more time at home; hobbies became more important to us now. Hobby can help us in many ways during this troubled times:

Hobby helps reduce our stress and fatigue.

Hobby makes us happy and lively.

Hobby increases our knowledge and helps us to create new skills.

Hobby teaches us to be more patient.

Hobby gives us the opportunity to enjoy our leisure time.

Hobby paves the way for our new friendship.

Hobby makes us more confident.

Hobby helps us find out our latent talents.

Some of the hobbies that we can easily practice at home in this pandemic situation are-

Video gaming

It is true that video gaming is very unpleasant for most parents. Because action games often do not bring much benefit for a person. However, games which requires mental exercise like strategy games increase mental skills, reduces mental fatigue, as well as sharpen our reasoning ability. Online games also teach us to be social and meet people from all over the world. Moreover video games increase brain function, build memory habits, and teach multitasking. So video games can be act as medium to psychomotor skills as well as having fun in the leisure time.

Practicing music or musical instruments

The corona lockdown situation can turn out to be an unprecedented opportunity to find your latent talent. Many of us like to sing or want to learn how to play a musical instrument. So this is could be the amazing opportunity where we make our dream come true. There may not be a better time to test these talents. These hobbies can contribute to reduce our stress level, increase productivity, fuel creativity, build up confidence and son on.

Drawing

One of the artistic development of one's creativity is through drawing. This hobby enhances our emotional skills, giving us the opportunity to recognize and control our own emotions. We find peace of mind through drawing. And this hobby can also pave the way for higher education and earning in the future. We can easily try it in the comfort and safety of our home. We could take assistance from videos and websites online to guide us to our preferred path.

Reading books

Reading books is the most popular hobby in the world. It is not limited to just knowledge growth; the benefits of reading a book cannot be overstated: it increases our vocabulary, increases our concentration, eliminates frustration, teaches us to be tolerant of others, increases our imagination, teaches us to think clearly, improves our memory, and so on. However, in the case of reading books, it is better to read different types of books such as stories, novels, plays, poems, biographies, etc .; then this practice will broaden our spectrum of thought even further. Moreover nowadays we can read books online and through digital devices.

Writing

Writing is very ideal as a hobby. Many of us like to write diaries and many others have the habit of writing poetry. And in this age of social media, we are always writing something somewhere in one form or other. If we can present these writings in a thoughtful way, it can become more interesting. Maybe one of us can become a famous writer, poet or playwright by staying at home. This hobby can turn out to be a opportunity for national or international recognition, if we can publish our articles in various magazines or online websites.

Exercising

There is no better way to improve your physical condition than exercise. Different exercises can be done easily at home without buying any additional materials. And there are many mobile apps available for free and there are many videos on YouTube with detail exercise plan. With the help of these, any of us can become the proud owner of a fit body. Exercising not just reduce weight or reduce health risks; it plays a role in reducing our frustration and anxiety. In addition to general exercises there are aerobic exercises, flexibility exercises, yoga exercises, etc. which can be practiced at home.

Cooking

Cooking is a quite tasty hobby. The hobby of cooking is very suitable for those of us who like to eat food and surprise our stomach with delicious dishes. Through this hobby we can constantly introduce new tastes to our taste buds. Just as cooking habits make us tactful and confident, it also often paves the way for self-reliance. It also could let to a very successful carrier as a chef.

Sewing

From ancient times sewing has been practiced in our country as a hobby and as well as a profession. Through this hobby we can reduce the unnecessary waste of money as well as find a way to make a living if needed. It teaches us self-control, increases creativity, relieves fatigue, increases concentration and builds patience.

Gardening

Gardening has never been limited to backyards, fields or open spaces. Now we can make a small garden on our roof and verandah if we want. It is a good hobby to overcome loneliness. Moreover by gardening our minds become cheerful, we get to learn to be responsible and as well as can make a positive contribution to the environment. Due of Corona, various gardening materials including tree saplings are available by ordering online; so we don't have to leave the safety of our home to practice this hobby.

Origami

Origami as a hobby is not very common in our country. Origami refers to the various forms of paper. As a hobby it is very artistic. A very simple piece of paper can be folded in different ways and instantly transformed into an extraordinary shape through Origami. There are many websites, books and videos available online to learn how to create different origami; with the help of these, anyone can become an origami artist.

Is there any limit on the number of the hobbies? No, there are many other hobbies including acting, dancing, photography, stamp collection and so on. So we can choose any hobby of our choice from the limitless options. And enjoy the time of being confined in the house due to this epidemic by practicing these hobbies.

Niaz Islam Arif, Currently working as an Assistant Manager at Dnet/development organization.