\n
\n
![\"hot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ivf00rpzi2l9h4vz2lts858j28gk.jpeg\"\/)
\n
\nA Redline Hot Wheel refurbished by Kevin Sardino.
\n<\/a>X<\/a>
\n \n<\/p>\n
Today, Sardino continues the hobby, which has turned into a livelihood. He has restored hundreds of cars for clients across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. He also sells cars on eBay.
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI can look back now and make the then-unconscious connection between restoring Redlines and the hope I had for the restoration of my life,\u201d says Sardino.
\n
\n<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t take a study \u2013 although many have been done\u00a0\u2013 to affirm that non-screen hobbies are excellent for physical and mental health, and can provide benefits like improved mood, reduced stress, better focus and increased social connection.
\n
\n<\/p>\n
Deciding to spend time on non-screen hobbies doesn’t mean quitting all technology. It simply means unplugging for an amount of time, from a couple of hours to a full day or even an entire weekend.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
Robb Ellicson has created interactive activities for 30 years, and is the author of four books, including his most recent, \u201cThe Loyalty Game,\u201d which provides a perspective on why people like \u2013 even need \u2013 to play (non-video) games.
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a grounding thing. It reminds us that we are a part of a literal living and breathing community. It reminds us that we are not alone,\u201d says Ellicson. \u201cThere is excitement, joy, safety and solace in that.\u201d
\n
\n<\/p>\n
The healing art of crafts<\/p>\n
April Humphries enjoys a variety of crafts, but her favorites are made from paper. Growing up, she didn\u2019t have access to many art supplies, so she resourcefully made art from paper, including beads, sculpture and other forms of 3-D art.
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that really challenged my ingenuity growing up and has translated over into adulthood,\u201d says Humphries.
For Humphries, crafting provides relaxation, healthy escapism, a sense of well-being and boosts her mental health.\u00a0
\u201cI grew up in an abusive, toxic environment, and crafting was one of the main coping mechanisms I used to make it through my childhood,\u201d says Humphries. \u201cHonestly, being creative has literally saved my life. When I\u2019m crafting, I feel a sense of peace and accomplishment. It makes me feel like I have a superpower.\u201d
A sense of empowerment is a portion of the reason why Noel Tylla picked up the bagpipes 21 years ago.\u00a0
\u201cWhen I went to Scotland for the first time and heard someone busking on the street, I said to myself, \u2018I want to do that,\u2019\u201d says Tylla. \u201cBagpipes are a powerful instrument, and I wanted to be a part of that.\u201d
Today, Tylla plays bagpipes with the Celtic Nations Pipes and Drums and on occasion with AC\/DC tribute band Billy Bon Scott and The Ken Stars in Racine.\u00a0
The great outdoors<\/p>\n Evidence proves\u00a0that spending time outdoors can lower stress, improve mood and even enhance cognitive function. Allison Kitzerow discovered this firsthand.<\/p>\n
When the pandemic started in the spring of 2020, Kitzerow felt cooped up in her apartment, glued to her laptop and working long hours. Determined to do something for herself, she started going on a daily walk in a nature preserve near her apartment.\u00a0
\u201cAt first, I\u2019d walk fast-paced laps, my mind ruminating on work stress. But as the months passed, I started to slow down during those walks, noticing the budding trees, new flowers, the changing weather and wildlife,\u201d says Kitzerow. \u201cMore importantly, I noticed this daily slow walk greatly relieved some of the burnout I was feeling from work.\u201d
A few years later, she discovered Forest Therapy \u2013 also called \u201cForest Bathing\u201d \u2013 a practice that helps people engage their senses, while slowing down and relaxing in nature. A core part of Forest Therapy is called \u201cSit Spot,\u201d where people find a spot to sit outdoors for about 20 minutes and do nothing.\u00a0
\u201cThe first few times I tried a Sit Spot, I felt restless and found it incredibly difficult to sit and simply observe the world around me without glancing at my phone. But, with practice \u2013 and leaving my phone indoors \u2013 realized that regularly doing a Sit Spot can actually be quite exciting. When you pay attention, you never know what might emerge around you in those 20 minutes,\u201d says Kitzerow.
Kitzerow, an Army veteran, suffers from anxiety, something Forest Therapy has helped to relieve. \u201cI\u2019ve found that sitting and watching trees, clouds or moving water calms my anxious thoughts,\u201d she says.
\u201cFrom colorful wildflowers to cool wildlife, I\u2019ve seen some incredible things, and have found some much-needed moments of mental peace.\u201d
Cruising away from social anxiety<\/p>\n For Simon Dickover, riding his \u201ctall bike\u201d helps him with social anxiety, making conversation with new people, and feeling a sense of belonging.\u00a0
Dickover and a friend built the bike last summer by cutting and welding two bike frames together.
\u201cAt first, when I started to ride it, I thought it would just be fun to see things from a new perspective. After a couple of days, I realized it was a great way to meet people,\u201d says Dickover. \u201cI struggle to start conversations sometimes, and having my tall bike gets people to come up to me and chat. I feel that I fit in (my) neighborhood more than I ever have.\u201d
Never too late to start<\/p>\n One of the cool aspects of hobbies is that a person can pick one up at any time, regardless of age. A hobby isn’t like a career, where there are myriad timeframes and expectations. Instead, a hobby is done for the sole purpose of enjoyment and pleasant distraction, and if it produces something beautiful or useful, even better.<\/p>\n
Growing up, Greg Ryan watched his mother sew clothing for herself and his five sisters, and he found it interesting. Many years later, he joined a group called Make Nashville (Ryan and his wife live in Milwaukee and Nashville) and suddenly had access to a large sewing area with machines and sergers.
\u201cI was in there one day fixing some jeans, and I kinda just started sewing,\u201d says Ryan.
He went on to sew pillow cases for his grandchildren, men\u2019s shirts and self-designed \u201csuspender sleeves.\u201d
\u201cThese are reversible fabric sleeves that velcro around the suspenders to give them more character,\u201d says Ryan. \u201cI’m considering making a small biz out of it, but for right now I’m having fun making them.\u201d
As for mental health, Ryan has found sewing to be soothing.
\u201cI’m concerned and sad sometimes because of what our country is going through, and sewing helps me focus on something else at least for a few short hours,\u201d says Ryan. \u201cWhen I’ve made something, I come home like a kid who just got an A on my exam to show to my wife.\u201d
Popularity of analog technology\u00a0<\/p>\n Many people are returning to analog technology even though their SmartPhones are capable of providing similar functions. Film photography, vinyl records and record players, manual typewriters, and VCRs and VHS tapes are coveted more than ever.
\n
\n![\"art\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/o6ooa9hrn65g2hif54smrugx7a1d.jpeg\"\/)
\n
\nArt by April Humphries.
\n<\/a>X<\/a>
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n![\"forest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/n9xw6cb4apohkobqicy37xmokssq.jpeg\"\/)
\n
\nForest Therapy is personal therapy for Allison Kitzerow.
\n<\/a>X<\/a>
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n![\"tall](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3akd27jq9jq3i735s8svb9ifc0oy.jpeg\"\/)
\n
\nSimon Dickover (right) and his “tall bike.”
\n<\/a>X<\/a>
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ji5j24t3dgrmkxcgpbt23mdxfdee.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a>X<\/a>
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/p>\n