Strange Times Call for New Hobbies: 10 Activities to try at Home

Boredom can be inspiration for creativity, but being stuck at home can also lead to laziness and procrastination. Sound familiar?

One way we’ve stayed (somewhat) sane and (slightly) productive over the last few months is by trying new hobbies. No, seriously, we have been trying a lot of new things. I mean, Peter learned to ride a bike!

Here are 10 more activities you can do at home:

#1: Play an instrument

The internet is full of tutorials and free videos on pretty much every instrument you can imagine. You could even hire a teacher to give you virtual lessons for a more personalized experience.

You might already play an instrument, but it’s been awhile. Well, if you were waiting for a sign to dust off your old friend, this is it. If you don't have your instrument of choice at home, there’s probably a local music store nearby that can ship one directly to you. It really couldn’t be easier!

Even if you're not playing on stage at loud venues, you're still at risk for permanent hearing loss. EarPeace Musician Ear Plugs to protect their most important instrument (hint: it's your ears). Proprietary attenuation filters block out harmful background noise without muffling the sound so you can hear your instrument more clearly. There's a reason why bands like Metallica trust EarPeace.

It's time to face the music on hearing loss
Young people are especially vulnerable to noise-induced hearing loss, so if your child plays an instrument, make sure they’re using professional grade hearing protection, too.

#2: Meditate

Peace of mind is just a few breaths away...that is, if you can quiet the world around you enough to focus. Meditation is a great tool that can benefit pretty much anyone. It's just a matter of finding the practice(s) that work best for you. There are so many different ways to meditate and tons of apps to help get you started.

Ideally, you’ll find a quiet space in your home and sit down to observe your breath for as long as you can. Realistically, it’s not always possible. Wearing EarPeace during meditation can help you focus on the present by blocking out background distractions. Plus, it won’t muffle the audio if you’re doing a guided practice or enjoying a sound bath.

#3: Start (or finish) a woodworking project

Maybe it’s a new hobby, or maybe you’ve always done it. More time at home means you may find yourself dreaming of a woodworking project, and you now have the time to get started. However, power tools are loud! Continuous sounds of 85 decibels or higher can cause permanent hearing loss. Ever think about how loud those power tools can get?

Power Tool	Decibel Level	Max time before hearing loss can occur without hearing protection
Sander	97 dB	50 minutes
Table Saw	100 dB	15 minutes
Miter Saw	104 dB	5 minutes
Circular Saw	110 dB	< 2 minutes
Chain Saw	115 dB	< 30 seconds

If you don’t have a separate garage or workspace, this hobby may be a nonstarter. But if you can swing it, set up your new woodworking space and use EarPeace Professional Grade Ear Plugs to protect your hearing.

#4: Landscape outdoor spaces

Spring and summer are the perfect seasons to improve your yard. The sun is shining, plants are blooming, and hardware stores often run sales on essential yard-work equipment.

Similar to woodworking, gardening and farming tools are often quite loud, so don’t start up that weed wacker without proper ear protection. EarPeace can make the difference between lawnmower-induced hearing loss and a lifetime of good hearing and safe landscaping.

#5: Do repairs on a car or motorcycle

This is a great time to whip out those manuals and get to know your car or motorcycle better. Although many mechanics are now open, it’s always good to be able to implement basic repairs yourself.

Learning repair skills will serve you in the future if you ever get stranded on a road trip. Grab EarPeace to protect your ears, and get to tinkering.

#6: Learn to DJ and mix music

Picture this: it's the first (legal) house party in months, people are gathering in the kitchen and slowly start trickling into the living room. There's some chill music playing the background...it's fine. But you've been waiting for this moment. It's the moment you become the cool person who comes out of quarantine with a brand new DJ set.

Just like musicians who play instruments, a common complaint among DJs is hearing damage. EarPeace Musician Ear Plugs let the beats in while protecting you against damage. Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable so don't wait until it's too late.

#7: Cooking and baking

You don’t have to be a professional chef in a noisy restaurant kitchen to fall victim to loud household kitchen appliances. Your new culinary pursuits may lead you to fancy recipes that require the use of a blender or food processor.

Enjoy cooking more with professional grade hearing protection in the kitchen. Your nervous system will thank you, and your tummy will too.

#8: Become your own seamstress

With so many malls and stores closed for in-person browsing, online shopping is becoming even more popular. But when you order clothes online, they never seem to fit like they do in the picture. That's where sewing and tailoring comes in. It's one of those super useful skills you've always wanted to learn, but "don't have enough time" to actually try it. Hmm...perhaps it's time to rethink that excuse.

EarPeace ear plugs help block out the constant buzzing of your machine and other distractions so you can focus on creating your next masterpiece...or just stitching up that hole from the weekend.

#9: Teach your kids new games

Being cooped up at home is hard on everyone, but it can lead to especially noisy and rambunctious behavior from kids. Keep them busy with some new outdoor activities. It might take some time to teach them, but then you can leave them to their own devices...for the most part.

The proprietary filter technology in EarPeace filters out the noise you don't want while still maintaining situational awareness. That means less yelling, crying, screaming children for you, and more (safe, supervised) freedom for them. (Extra points if you find a game that includes cardio. They’ll sleep like rocks.)

#10: Write

Fancy yourself an amateur novelist? EarPeace lets you drown out the neighborhood traffic and write your next bestseller in peace (without missing the doorbell with your pizza delivery).

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Whether you try a new hobby or go back to an old passion, EarPeace provides the protection you trust to do the things you love.

And don't forget - if you discover a renewed passion for your miter saw, just make sure everyone in the vicinity has professional grade hearing protection before the sawdust flies.

👂❤️✌️