Asklemmy

Singing. It literally bumps up your dopamine level.

It may have been suggested but a friend of mine who suffers with depression really enjoys jigsaws and lego?

Many people have suggested walking and creative outlets. I think painting rocks is a good way to merge the two together. Go on a walk with the intention of finding a rock you like. It can be big, small, smooth, rough, maybe the shape of the rock reminds you of something or maybe it’s just a rock. Then at home just paint it however. It’s low stakes cause it’s just a rock, it has a clear finish point, it can be as high or low effort as you want. Big, small, plain, intricate, concrete, abstract. Just get a rock and put some paint on it and then you can feel accomplished cause you did something good for yourself.

Could try 3D printing. I recently picked up an Ender 3 printer and have been having a lot of fun. I'm in a pretty good spot with a few figures printed and I'm ready to start doing the clean up and polishing type stuff. After I feel like I have a good process I'll start figuring out the best ways to paint.

It's been a fun hobby with a seemingly endless amount of depth, so there's always something to learn or just improve your current process.

The printer I got, plus the filament was around $195 to get started. Budget permitting I think its a fun creative outlet.

Photography - added benefit is that you will usually go out for this

Music - an instrument is good

Drawing/Painting

Programming (hit or miss, I found learning unity was fun)

Video making - recording video games playthroughs, cooking, and so on.

Finally, one that usually everyone probably also may mention - Therapy - not a hobby but having to be able to talk about it is often good

This is of course not an exhaustive list - but it depends on what your interests are. Hope this is a good pointer to what you're looking for.

Pick up whittling. This what I did when I was struggling in early covid. The start up cost is low and u can get as creative as u want. Im not very creative so make spoons and give them to family and friends but also make little figures like gnomes, wizards, rabbits, fish.

If u got wood and a semi decent knife, u can start right now

If you live somewhere rural...birdwatching.

Gaming! There's so many amazing games out there in all sorts of genres.

I recently started watching videos of people mowing lawns and it's been making me feel great.

Exercise is a definite one. This is actually coming from a medical side, not just a personal one. There's a lot of data there.

However I think hobbies that are 'measurable' are also really good. Ones where you can feel like you accomplished something. So things like painting, drawing, learning something, reading, where you can feel like youve finished something I feel really helps.

So a good idea might be combining the two. Maybe an exercise with a goal in mind. Or maybe take a few karate classes, with the goal of working towards your first belt. Or biking a certain distance every day to reach a total amount for a month. I personally find when i can see that my hobby has some measurable accomplishment, I personally feel more satisfied with that

Also for me social things help a lot. Im a very social person, but can get such in a rut. Finding more ways to be social can help expand and open you up to other things

Find what you want from a hobby.

After trial and error for a few years, I realized I wanted my hobby to create something useful in the end. That helped me really narrow down my options.

Now, my favorite things to do include cooking (then get to eat it), crochet (then get to wear it/sell it/give it away), and playing RPGs (then get to beat it, etc.).

Hope this helps!

As Heliumfart said, music works well. Even if you're not musically inclined you can get a small midi keyboard and bash at it using some free software, is very accessible nowadays! (Plenty of YouTube tutorials, I use reaper but plenty of other free tools to try). As far as working out goes, I lacked the motivation too, but then got a couple of dumbbells and would do some small movements while watching movies or shows at home. It's slow progress but eventually gets to the point that you enjoy it. You're already sat there watching TV, so this is just adding one small thing into that. I do feel more motivated after moving a little, so maybe that would work for you.

Not sure if they count as hobbies since they're ones that didn't wholly develop consciously, but photography and cryptography are the two that get me by.

I’d recommend an in-person game of Pathfinder or DnD. The great thing about the game for me is getting rid of the electronics for a while and trying to be as creative as possible. If you can think it up, and convince the DM, you can do it be anything you want. Be as creative as you want. Come up with a character and their backstory and have fun.

Once you’ve played for a bit and have a good handle on things trying DMing. I was more afraid than I should have been and found that it is a ton of fun. Between getting to come up with and run the games I like to add my own twists and turns, bring things from previous sessions in as a surprise and most of all I love to see the creativity from the players and seeing how they ~~fuck up all my carefully laid plans~~ come up with amazing ideas and surprise me.

It can be an amazing outlet and a place to make some new friends. If you find a group that doesn’t work with you don’t be afraid to find a different one though, and remember that it’s meant to be fun.

If you are lacking motivation, find something where you can start small, or work on in your bedroom. Make it as easy as possible to work on your hobby. Some examples include gaming (switch or laptop right next to the bed), or maille (start small with bracelets and move up to bags and belts before doing anything big).

I know music has already been stated, but learning an instrument during my episodes greatly helped me. It's not super interesting at first, but if your symptoms are like mine and others, sometimes just having the boring distraction of practicing a scale pattern can be that helpful. Learning the patterns of the major scale and doing that repeatedly can just be a nice way to productively occupy your mind and hands long enough for the episodes to pass when they get bad. And once you get to a point where you passively start hearing different ways to play that scale, you begin to improvise and it can actually go from boredom to fun. Another cool trick is that if you're used to typical 12 note scale stuff and associate Major sounds with "happy" sounds, it can give your brain just a little cognitive dissonance and help jolt you out of some moods if you're in a lighter episode.

Again: it's something that has worked for me. I don't think there's anything wrong with you if it doesn't work for you. But maybe it could be worth trying if you have access to an instrument.

As I don't see it already mentioned - needle felting. It's really fun, simple to learn yet hard to master and can be a great creative outlet. I'm still a beginner myself, but have already managed to make some okay looking things, and as you get better the things you make can be great small gifts for friends and family.

I believe there are some fairly inexpensive beginner's kits you could get that contain everything to get you started, and youtube has some really nice tutorials. There are also several ebooks with needle felting ideas and templates. What I like to do, to not feel too bad when my thing looks nothing like the thing in the picture, is to look up a tutorial to get a basic idea and then amend according to my ability and colors I have available.

In any case and whatever you end up actually doing, I really hope you find something you enjoy.

D&D and tabletop gaming in general has helped a lot with my social anxiety and mental health.

Exercise is what helped me. I tried kayaking, found it to be nice but a lot of overhead. So cycling became a passion. Cover a lot of ground, see nature, get a lot of perspective, release endorphins in a healthy way. I did both road cycling and mountain biking.

It basically saved me from some dark times. I have a young child now, so on a hiatus, but will be back to it once she is old enough to go on rides.

Working out

Go to a pet shelter and volunteer to walk the dogs.

Backyard birdwatching? Collect recipes like on Pinterest that look good and if you feel like it later you'll have some good recipes to try making?

try programming. starting to learn python is easy and then if you like it keep on learning.

Roller skating or roller blading can be an alternative to hiking, walking, and running that is loads of fun. This option can cost a bit more upfront for skates and protective gear but that can be minimized if you try to buy second hand.

I like this option since it can invoke more of a childlike fun and still get you out of the house. It's also arguably a cool hobby. Skating and blading works well if you live in a place that's more urban/suburban. You're not competing with anyone (except the you of yesterday). It's great to feel the wind and road fly by once you get good enough.

If anyone decides to try it, I recommend finding a flat, smooth spot and wearing a helmet and pads to start. Watch videos to improve your skills. Connect with other skaters online and in person if/when you feel comfortable doing so.

Any kind of exercise, and social interaction. A combination is best, ie a team sports like basketball, soccer, etc. Check for local leagues, and so forth. It's a really good way to meet new friends as well.

Making music is a great outlet for any kind of emotion. But it's a long journey so you should manage your expectations. You won't be writing the most sophisticated songs at first, but as long as it's from your heart, it's good nonetheless.

I can't relate to your depression, though, so I don't know if this would be too overwhelming. If you manage to stick with it, the sense of fulfillment is amazing though.

What kinds of stuff are you interested in?
What do you like?

Music, art, working out, programming, biking, gardening, modding cars, woodworking, cooking... Any hobby can be a great thing for knocking out depression. You just have to be honest with yourself about things that you like, your current level of skills, what kinds of projects it makes sense to tackle on your own, and so on.

I picked up plants when I got depressed. Not only are they cool, but it is nice seeing something grow and nurtured. Plus, I learned that there isn't enough sunlight in my home which contributed to my depression.

The only thing I recommend is not to get a hard starter plant like calathea/goeppertia but like a spider plant. Really cool seeing them explode with growth!

Echoing others, outdoor exercise is definitely the most restorative activity for me.

To add to this though, I also have taken up Photography as a way to add to or enhance my hobbies and activities.

I usually bring a camera with me on hikes, trips, walks, bike rides, nearly anytime I leave the house. It helps me see the world with my creative switch “on” but without the pressure of having to take an amazing photo - something I feel when I only bring out a camera for special occasions.

I also want to stress the importance of taking photos for yourself as the primary goal, and if only sharing photos that you personally like, not photos that you think others will like.

How do you feel about finding things difficult and failure? Because that's really important to consider when thinking of suggestions. It also depends how dedicated or how hard you are on yourself.