4 Forgotten Hobbies for Men

The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed changed how people work and live. The period of extended lockdowns has seen families, especially men and women who commuted to work every day, being confined within four walls, leaving plenty of time on their hands.

Life has slowed down considerably, leading to the revival of several old-fashioned activities requiring investment and patience. As a result, we have seen many forgotten hobbies making a comeback lately.

And, this may probably explain why there has been an exponential growth in men taking up some old-school hobbies such as baking, gardening, origami and collecting vinyls instead of spending all their free time on their mobile devices, computers and TVs. In this article, let’s take a look at 4 forgotten hobbies for men.

Origami

Origami, a popular contribution by 17th century Japan to the world, is an ancient art that began after the Buddhist priests brought paper to Japan. The term “origami” stands for “ori”, meaning “folding” and “gami”, meaning “paper” in Japanese.

Originally practiced by the elites of Japan, origami is an art form where paper is folded into interesting shapes to make unique creations such as cats, dogs, flowers, birds, butterflies, etc. Over time, origami spread all across the world and became a very popular hobby.

Even today, origami is extremely popular, not only a creative recreational activity, but it is also extremely meditative and a wonderful stressbuster. This is because origami requires complete focus and attention and you must follow the step-by-step folding instructions meticulously.

Origami is not simply paper folding; it is paper art and the best thing about origami is that not only is it a great hobby for kids but adults too. It does not require a lot of equipment, investment or skill and you can start the hobby easily any time you wish.

Model Railroading

Model railroading is a long-forgotten hobby that was quite popular in the early and mid-20th centuries; however, it has become quite popular in recent years. Mainly considered as a hobby for men, today, railroading is loved by women and kids too.

Model railroading means different things to different people. While some may consider this as a classic pursuit, others may look at their model railroad as a valuable collectible, while some others may be on their way to erecting their railroad empire.

Model railroads with their lifelike depiction of towns, buildings, model houses, landscaping and other features are often the pride and joy of railroad hobbyists.

When you speak about model railroading, you may have heard the use of terms such as HO scale, N scale, scale converter, etc., which can be rather bewildering to a novice. However, simply put, the term HO scale or 1/87 proportion refers to the scale that most model railroading hobbyists work in. Other people prefer to use the N scale or 1/160 proportion, which is much smaller or the O scale (1/48), which is a larger proportion.

Today, you can simply purchase ready-made models, which are set on the track, assemble and run them or you can build everything right from scratch. A good site to get started is modelbuildings.org – which has a ton of scale models to choose from.

Whichever route you decide to take, the joy of setting up a working model railroad in your living room or basement of your home, complete with model houses, buildings, trees, etc. is simply beyond compare.

Making Bread

Our modern life is so hectic that most of us don’t have the inclination or time to make our bread at home, especially because you can easily find a wide variety of bread in any supermarket or store.

However, in recent times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine baking has become a popular hobby among men, which was why flour and yeast were two grocery items that were in short supply during the lockdown.

Making bread is an extremely appealing hobby that has emerged as a trendy pastime for men in recent times because it not only engages your senses but is also a very calming and soothing activity.

Making bread is not only a stress-busting hobby but the textural feel of the dough, the changing shape and rising of the bread as it bakes and the delicious aroma that fills your home, not to mention the wonderful taste of freshly baked bread is simply beyond compare.

Most men who take up making bread as a hobby find that it is not only a super fun activity but a rewarding one too. You can not only try out new recipes but also be as creative as you like. According to a psychology study, making bread can help to reduce stress and make you a lot happier too. So, go ahead and explore your passion for baking!

Jigsaw Puzzles

Another long-forgotten hobby that many men have been taking up in recent times is solving jigsaw puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles soared in popularity during the Great Depression and in the early 1930s, jigsaw puzzles became hugely popular, resulting in sales of over 10 million puzzles per week.

During the troubled economic times, jigsaw puzzles were widely available and offered a cheap source of entertainment for families. Today, jigsaw puzzles have become very popular again.

In fact, the demand for jigsaw puzzles skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic so much so that Ravensburger, the German puzzle maker saw a rise in the sales of jigsaw puzzles by 370% in March 2020.

An excellent activity to do all on your own or along with your family or friends, jigsaw puzzles come in various sizes, themes, designs, etc. and are guaranteed to offer several hours of entertainment and fun.

Solving jigsaw puzzles requires attention to detail, focus, imagination and creativity and apart from providing hours of entertainment, they can also provide a good mental workout for your brain, while helping to reduce stress.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, hobbies are an excellent way to express your creativity while doing something that you love. And, in this article, we have taken a peek at some old and long-forgotten hobbies that have made a comeback in recent times.

Not only are they creative and fun, but educational too, while being huge stressbusters. Right from origami to model railroading, jigsaw puzzles and making bread, these four old-fashioned hobbies are wonderful pastimes for modern men.