Ask HN: Looking for new hobbies to relax, grow or make friends, any ideas? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Looking for new hobbies to relax, grow or make friends, any ideas?

I'm a man in my late 30s, looking for some new hobbies to try that will help me relax, grow, and make friends. I'm open to anything, but I'm particularly interested in hobbies that are:

  - Relaxing. I don't do this enough. Maybe something outside?
  - Social. I want to make new friends.
  - Challenging. I want to learn new things and challenge myself. (eg learning a new skill)

I'm not sure where to start, so I'm hoping for some suggestions from the community. What are your favourite hobbies? What do you recommend for someone who is looking for something new?

I'm particularly interested in hobbies that can help me relax, as I'm not very good at it and don't do it enough. I'm also looking for hobbies that can help me grow my skills or knowledge, or that can help me meet new people.

I'm open to any suggestions, so please feel free to share your favourites!

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To meet people: I would recommend taking beginner classes of any sports that you dont need a team but do need others. Tennis, padel, pickleball, Squash, badmitten, etc.

Especially any sport you can find in almost any large city. So as you travel you can find others too.

Great networking opportunities and great to keep in shape as you age.

I am 39 and looking forward to more mobile 40's. I hope to be in better shape in my 40's than I was in my 20's. This new sports and gym time is helping me lose lots of weight and get away from the screen for a while.

One weird thing: Board Games. Or even Puzzles can be great relaxing non screen times. But may not be that popular depending on friends and available board game shops.

You are lucky, now is relatively calmly period of war in Ukraine, (formally geography center of Europe here), so you could visit country, look, sense smell of war, and flee on first signs of danger.

I guarantee, you will not have comparable opportunity in nearest 10 years.

To be strict, looks like China planning to occupy Taiwan in nearest 12-18months, but I think, their war will be very different.

That's a heck of a hobby. But I know a few people from Ukraine and they say they stay because the odds of being killed by a missile or drone attack is less than being killed by a car crash. It's probably as safe a war as any.

As a side note, I liked visiting destroyed areas in the middle east for some reason. There's a sense of peace, like visiting a cemetery, where you realize for a moment that all in this world doesn't matter that much. It was interesting to just go to a barber's shop there, do something mundane amidst the chaos. They don't get much tourists in a war zone, so you get a rare sense of xenia (guest-friendship) where a stranger basically treats you like family. YMMV.

I think, we understand each other very good, and this is good sign any way.

I just want to say, this is real and big war, even something bigger, and as war, it is very different style of life.

And we have here very special moment of history, which, I believe, will not repeat in observable time.

To be strict, Ukraine now looks like Poland ~100 years ago, when they decide to totally change their political vector from Russia satellite to independent European country, and had to prove their decision made sincerely and they are brave enough to change their life.

We are not middle east, we are very old European nation (Cossacks country here happen in 1700s), but we like when people compare us with Israel, who built ultra modern civilization-garden in desert.

War is just consequence of so big decision and huge changes.

We have different people here, some very ordinary, some opportunists, some founders of new part of world.

And I believe, we now on lowest stage of economics, because of war, and this will change next year.

War could last approx to October, then planned elections in US. I think, Biden will end war, because to win elections any American president must look peacemaker.

Even possible draw position, like in Korea (yes, occupied territories could become separate near forever).

And as last word in this text, I prefer peaceful life style, so I worked many years, to got Europe here in evolutionary way. Unfortunately I was not fast enough to make protection from powers, who trying to solve their questions with their usual way of war.

I don't say, what happen in the middle east is not serious, but numbers say, in Ukraine in ONE DAY spent same amount of 155mm shells as in Afghanistan in ONE MONTH, so 30:1. I think this said about how serious things in Ukraine.

Depends on where you are located, but is there a community garden near you? I’ve lived in several cities and while most of my hobbies are pretty intense, gardening allows me to zen the fuck out and meet people outside of tech. Watching plants grow is such a tangible experience that I can’t get with software.

Someone else mentioned woodworking- that’s not my cup of coffee, but maker spaces are a great way to meet people and build something.

The last thing I can think of is your local library or community college- they may have courses for adults in a low pressure environment.

Godspeed :)

What do you mean by relax? Does playing sport help relax you? Sports really is great at #2 & #3. If you are not a competitive person, sports (yoga/golf/tennis) might be the opposite.

Running used to relax me a lot, especially on those slow but long run, I get into a groove and just turn my brain off for 60-90 minutes.

Furniture/Pottery/Glass making classes hit all 3 if you find something around you.

Another vote for running. I'm training for my 4th half marathon in two years, never played any sports or ran before. Most of my training mileage is at a slow, conversational pace.

Perhaps consider joining a local running club, preferably through a brewery. They are social and relaxed.

Yeah this is a good call. I did this when I moved to a new city 8 years ago — once a week was a brewery running club, and I ran by myself or with a friend the other days. I also liked geeking out over the gear — running is nice because you can spend a lot on expensive shoes, and that’s really all you really need… some hobbies like skiing or golf will drain your wallet.

I've found war games, namely Warhammer 40k, to fit all those categories.

- Painting is a meditative and creative practice. - Playing and talking about the game is very social. - The game itself is complex and there is a lot to learn.

I've also learned a tone about art and painting. I'm starting to think about doing Bob Ross style art as well.

Pick a niche hobby and dive in. Any hobby without too much supply will be full of interesting and generally welcoming people since they will also be in need of growing the community. This could be anything depending on where you are. Maybe recreational sports or something like table tennis or padel.

I unicycle. There aren't many of us so when we run into each other we usually hit it off instantly. You can take it as far as you want from learning to ride, to doing tricks, to riding in the mountains or across the country. It requires focus so it takes your mind off of recent events plus it is good exercise and helps with coordination. You become comfortable with looking ridiculous and as a result you meet all types of folks which is great.

Music fits the bill. It's never too late to learn an instrument, as long as you're able to mentally deal with sounding like ass for a long time. It takes a lot of practice to get to sound good enough to play in front of other people, but once you do, it opens a lot of possibilities for creation and socialization.

I like to go hunting. It requires preparation both physical and mental. Its also very relaxing to walk around in nature but in a purposeful manner. You see so much of nature in a more raw form instead of the typical trail hike.

Taking an animal and then eating its meat is both an emotional and spiritual event. It made me very interested in cooking abd the food chain. With the right folks it can be a very bonding experience - humping out many extra kilo's on your back through tough terrain is an experience. Definitely type 2 fun on those days.

Amateur Radio. Check out Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air. Essentially you take your radio to a park or mountain summit. Setup your gear and try to make radio contacts with others. Good communities behind both and likely some people in your area doing it.

- It is relaxing and something outside to do. - You can meet others locally who are into it as well and also meet people as you make radio contacts. - You'll need an amateur radio licence which can be a new skill to challenge you.

I'm a bit older but am looking for the same so hopefully some promising ideas come in. I've tried several tech-adjacent projects, but they go nowhere and don't refresh me. I'm experimenting with different art mediums now both digital and physical to see if anything grabs me. I'm also trying whittling as I see 'working with your hands' is often advise given on posts like this.

Both Yoga and Golf offer you ways to relax, be social and can be pretty challenging.

Golf is relaxing until you start losing balls and get frustrated so stay at driving range and small 9-hole courses until you feel ready to move up to full course.

Get out of house and go where people gather is the mantra to be social and make friends. Consider attending local events and meetups either related to your profession or personal interests.

Find and join a local sports club. There are plenty in my city for many different disciplines (football, volleyball, basketball, etc).

It can be challenging no matter what level you are at since you’ll find people with all sorts of skills, so you’ll learn and exercise

They are also friendly to all levels and can be social if you attend regularly and hangout with folks before/after games

Partner dancing, rock climbing, joining a running club, judo/bjj, volunteering, yoga, woodworking/making, etc.

Consider trying out gardening – it's relaxing, fulfilling, and a great way to connect with nature.

Joining a local sports club or taking up yoga classes can also help you stay active while making new friends. Exploring creative pursuits like painting or writing can be incredibly rewarding for personal growth. Happy hobby hunting!

brazilian Jiu-jitsu has done wonders for me. It's incredibly mentally relaxing whilst also being physically challengine. I've made brilliant friends through it.

Oftentimes universities have BJJ clubs that you may be able to join, even if you're not a student. These will be well suited to easing yourself in.

Golf! Highly challenging, lots of people to meet, lots of nice places to go and play at home or abroad. If you aren't a golfer, I'd recommend going to your nearest driving range, getting some lessons, some send hand clubs, and then playing the courses.

Typo - second hand clubs

I've been enjoying digital art. Dropped some money on an iPad Mini and an Apple Pencil and it's been great.

It ticks all your boxes and it's probably a nice hobby to have as AI art comes along.

Bouldering

It’s such an easy way to keep in shape, meet people, problem solve and relax.

I mostly do indoor climbing, but outdoors is fantastic as well.

Also, I specifically mention bouldering because it is a lot more social than rock climbing with ropes.

Walking / Hiking / urban exploration - in the city, at the beach, in nature, etc.

https://meetup.com has a ton of groups in my area.

For me: Relax - woodworking or brewing beer. Friends - team sport. Good luck!

Join a Toastmasters club. You'll get to work on public speaking and meet a bunch of people also working on improving themselves, which usually make for cool friends.

Start learning a new language, join language exchange programs, experience other cultures. I'm learning Spanish myself, it's been fun.

Consider ultimate frisbee. If you can find a group that plays consistently, that can be a good way to meet people, and also grow in skill and ability.

Community college courses?

However, though social, adult friendships are work. Wanting them to be easy makes them much much less likely. Good luck.

Try Jiu Jitsu. It's the best thing ever.

Golf isn't necessarily relaxing to me, but it is certainly challenging.

Chess seems like the ideal intersection of your requirements.

Fossil collecting? Involves walking and working with people of same mind.

Music. Learned to play piano. Very relaxing

Salsa classes.

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