Discovering a new hobby after leaving an abusive relationship

I collect hobbies, who knew it was ADHD. Haha. Here's what I've been rotating through lately- woodworking, abstract painting, sewing, knitting, jewelry making, bath and hair products, resin (with the molds), plant mom-ing, singing, obsessively researching random topics, candle making, herbalism. I think that's the main stuff. I'm sorry that an abusive relationship stole so much from you. As a survivor myself, my heart goes out to you. The positive of escaping is that now you can be YOU and do what you WANT to do. If you have an idea, follow it! Dollar Tree, Walmart, JoAnn, Michaels (with coupons for the last two) make trying out a new creative hobby easy and usually affordable. Follow your heart. I need busy hands so I understand that drive to create. Best of luck and if you have questions about any of my list of hobbies, feel free to reach out. Good luck in your new and improved life and try it all! ❤️

aside from an abusive reltionship, i relate to the feeling of spending so much time on distractions that you lose your sense of self. also, the prospect of learning or taking up something new and ENTIRELY self-taught and initiated can seem too overwhelming to start. one thing that i found to be a fun way to experiment with hobbies is going through tik tok and finding various trends and micro communities of people. it feels juvenile, but all social medias have small DIY hack/hobby videos that are great for starting out, and they are usually short so its good for attention span. for example, i saw one person make a mini chandelier out of mini disco balls and embroidery hoops, so now i have a bunch of different wall hangings with disco balls and other cool things. finding hobbies that i could also do while doing “productive” things (school/work)… so knitting is good or anything you can do with your hands that you don’t always have to be looking at, so your eyes can be occupied doing something else and therefore your brain feels more stimulated

I feel you. Grew up in not the best household and learned to be a workaholic. Honestly, I'd recommend going through a bookstore or library, watching YouTube or TikTok videos of different hobbies. Maybe look through your local YMCA and see if anything on their calendar does seem approachable Also, sometimes I stay busy to avoid feeling emotions, and finding a good therapist can be very helpful