Hobbies for Stay-at-Home Moms to Enrich Mind, Body, and Spirit

If you are a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and you find yourself wondering what you can do with your time, let me help you! I remember when I was a SAHM with four kids under six, and it was hard. There were times when I would walk in circles because I didn’t know what to do, or I would waste time online and feel depleted after my kids’ nap time. There were times when I was so bored I thought I might die! Okay, that is a little dramatic, but I’m sure you can relate! Let me share with you all the hobby ideas you could start today to stop wasting your time and start LIVING!

Before I met my husband, I was a single mom. I worked hard to provide for my son, so when I got married and my husband told me I could stay at home with my baby boy, I was ecstatic! It was only a year into staying at home that I found myself wondering what the heck people do at home all day! I got online and started searching… What do SAHM do all day?

To my surprise, many other moms were asking the same thing! Well, I am not one to be idle with my time and not see progress in my life, so I decided to use the time I had to grow in mind, body, and spirit!

Hobbies for the Mind

Following this basic structure of mind, body, and spirit allowed me to grow in a balanced way for overall health. I struggled with depression, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm quite frequently, so I knew I couldn’t neglect my mind.

Reading

I heard somewhere that reading was the best way to improve vocabulary and comprehension. I wanted to become a better communicator a year into my SAHM journey, so reading books became a hobby I learned to love. It was not always the case, though. I married into a family of philosophers and borderline geniuses, so when I came into the picture and told my mother-in-law I don’t read, she was appalled. Really, it wasn’t that I didn’t read. I did read, but I read magazines and fashion articles. She tried to tell me that it was silly to read those things and that if I was going to spend my time reading, I should read quality.

While I thought that was a bit over the top at the time, she was totally right! I still enjoy a good fashion article, but I also have become an avid reader, and it has increased my ability to focus, concentrate, write, and have better conversations with people overall. If you are someone who doesn’t enjoy reading books, I recommend starting with something small and forcing yourself to finish it all the way through. It is a pleasure that develops the more you do it, so stay consistent! Before you know it, you will begin to find the value in sitting down with a good book for the weekend.

Micro-Learning

While those babies are down for a nap, try micro-learning instead of hours of mindless scrolling online. This new trend has become popular in countering the numbness people experience when they aren’t using their brains while watching reels or shorts. Before you know it, hours have gone by, and you didn’t do anything but shorten your attention span and lose precious hours of your day. Ted Talks are a perfect example of micro-learning. It is bite-size information on specific topics without overwhelming you with too much information all at once. I don’t know about you, but the longer I am out of school, the harder it is to listen to forty-five minute lectures!

Examples of micro-learning you can try today
Duolingo
Quizzes
Infographics
Short Podcasts
Audiobooks

Gratitude Journaling

If you struggle with depression or feelings of overwhelm, I can’t recommend gratitude journaling enough! There are so many studies out there that show the benefits of practicing gratitude. Focusing on negative thoughts and feelings only drives us further into a hole of despair. Changing our minds to think positively and focus on what we are grateful for puts us in control of our thoughts and minds, showing us we do have power over our brains! Science has shown us this, but I believe science is only backing what God has already revealed in Scripture.

> “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

> “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,” Philippians 4:8.

> “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” Romans 12:2.

Even if you don’t believe in the Bible or Jesus, it is still good for your mind to practice gratitude. Studies have shown that gratitude reduces stress and increases the quality of sleep. Who doesn’t want that? Try sitting down with paper and pen and write out everything you are grateful for. Read the studies yourself if this needs to be more convincing. 😉

Hobbies for the body

This list could be extensive! But I will focus on what you can do at home since you probably have littles running around and don’t want to leave your house every day.

Home Workouts

Obviously, you can work out at the gym, too, but if you don’t have access to one, take advantage of the opportunity to work out at home. Your overall mood will change drastically if you are active during the day. You will feel more confident and be able to run around with those kiddos without feeling tired or burnt-out.

After I had my fourth child, I was looking for some motivation, let me tell you! I did not feel like working out after my full-time job of taking care of the housework and children, so I started a workout challenge with a bunch of ladies to help provide accountability and create discipline! Now, we have a FB group dedicated to accountability for all the tired mommas out there. If you are interested in joining, click here! You can also check out the fitness page on my blog for extra help and ideas about working out at home.

Cooking

We have to do this anyway, so we might as well be good at it! There are ample Masterclasses and YouTube channels available to help home cooks make good food! Whether you like baking bread, desserts, or cooking from scratch, there are so many ideas that take up time and benefit you and your household. I am always looking for ways to bring value to the people around me. What better way to bring value to your friends and family than serving them really good food around a table for a night of board games and laughter? You could try incorporating this hobby once a week so you aren’t overwhelmed with the clean-up.

Dancing

My sister-in-law was committed to learning the shuffle at home by watching YouTube dance videos. At the time, she had two young twins and lived on an isolated mountain. Well, she learned it and was pretty dang good at it! My mother-in-law wanted to incorporate fitness and fun at home, so she started Zumba. She enjoyed her little living room dance classes! Not only is this a fun hobby from home, but you will impress everyone at the next wedding you attend. Some of the dances don’t come easy, though, so find one that you can learn quickly to help boost your confidence and try harder ones over time.

Hobbies for the spirit

As a Christian, I encourage spiritual hobbies that enhance one’s relationship with God, the creator of all things, and your wonderful maker whether you believe it or not! If you are not a Believer, I challenge you to check out my content on faith and reason with what it says. If not, you can just replace my recommendations with whatever you choose to practice. (:

Bible Reading

When I said my mother-in-law was right about reading books, I didn’t mention that it took me about a year to reach that conclusion on my own. My husband was sweet enough to remind me that if I didn’t like to read books, at least I read my Bible. For the Christian who has access to it, the Bible is non-negotiable for your spiritual health. When we consistently read the Word, we nourish our spirits with God’s words, and the Spirit can convict us, correct us, and teach us all things (John 16:8, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and John 14:26). This is a valuable hobby that will impact you for years to come. Check out this article if you want to read more about why the Bible is important.

Prayer and meditation

Incorporating prayer and meditation as a hobby can tremendously help your mental and emotional well-being. As moms, we have to meet the demands of Littles all day. We have to correct, train, and guide them! Often, it can be overwhelming and emotionally taxing. When we incorporate prayer time and meditation in our days, we release our stress, anxiety, emotions, etc., back to God and expect Him to fill us with his Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

If you are new to meditation, it may take some getting used to. You can start by setting a timer for 5 minutes: sit, wait, and listen for God to speak to you. You can incorporate worship music and increase the amount of time as you become more comfortable sitting in silence.

Spending time in nature

This hobby really gets me going! You guys, spending time outside in nature is so important for our souls!! Smelling the fresh grass, dipping our toes in the water, gazing at the vast sky, and seeing the birds that fly up there—it is all so edifying and humbling. Being outdoors reminds us to slow down and rest. I live outside in the warm months! I will sit outdoors for hours with a book, a cigar, and a glass of wine. It is a quadfecta of hobbies! We spend most of our time inside, so getting outdoors gives us a change of scenery, which can help our mood. Take time to sit and think while you are outside. Ponder life, write out your dreams, and soak up some Vitamin D.