Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everybody,
I've never used an online forum properly before. I've recently been diagnosed with Aspergers, so I thought now might be a good time to try it out. I'm interested in meeting and getting to know new people on here. It would also be great if I could assist other users on the forum. I enjoy studying philosophy and gaming in my spare time. I have recently been trying to find a new hobby. Look forward to hearing from some of you and having a chat.
Hollie
Thanks, Boo.
I would like to try food making. I'll need to find recipes for ice creams because I've never made them before. I think it's really cool that you make ice creams.
Thanks for the info, Aidie. I like the sound of mantra meditation and I've heard of mindfulness before. Candle staring also sounds interesting. Does Zen meditation have any relation to Zen Buddhism? I studied Zen Buddhism briefly at university as part of my Buddhist Philosophy module.
It's cool that you used to play a fife. I think I'll need to start learning a new instrument because it's not practical for me to play drums at the moment.
Welcome Hollie!
A fun hobby you could try is food making, like making ice creams, that's something I do.
search for guided meditations in Youtube sit in a chair and follow the instructions. Try a different every day until you find one you like. Once you find one you like repeat it every day while looking for a second one to add. I converted teh ones I liked to MP3s and played them everyday when I could on a MP3 player + headphones.
types of formal meditation to read about or search for
1.guided
2. Mantra simple once u learn how to do them u can use them everywhere
3. focus - i liked candle staring --- improves concentration
4 mindfulness - mix of body scan + breath following many learners start here
5 breath following -- Zazen ( ZEN ) is part of this group. serious meditation. I read about Zen all the time
5b moving meditation such as walking meditation or "Mediation by doing" ( part of ZEN ) eg knitting / jogging / running / adult coloring in / jigsaws / dancing / playing music /yoga is a mix of moving/meditation
6. non-dual --- I love these guys and I am still learning about what they are saying --- stay away until u have have experience of 1 - 5 they will blow your mind to quickly
warning ---- dont exceed 1 hour of meditation per day or 10 hours per week without having a mentor/teacher/ -- some people over do it ! (me !)
I used to play a fife ! small simple flute. made by Yamaha.
Hello, thank you!
Thank you for the list of hobbies that you have helped other people with, Aidie. I think it'll be really helpful when it comes to me finding a new hobby. I'll let you know what I decide to pursue. I've been interested in meditation for some time, but struggled to find where to start with it all. Do you have any advice? Also, do you play a musical instrument?
Hi, Tinyexplorer. Not really started yet finding a new hobby because I'm in the process of moving house (very stressful). Aidie's list below looks very helpful, so I'm going to browse those and see if one suits me. I can find decisions overwhelming, so it really helps to have a limited choice sometimes. I previously played the drums but I had to sell my kit once I moved away to university, I would love to play a musical instrument again. Do you follow a deliberate approach of finding a new hobby?
Hello, welcome!
learn a musical instrument, guitar, keyboard, fife, mouth organ, but not bag pipes unless u live far from neighbours likewise with drums !
nearly forgot Magic tricks and illusions --- most start with card tricks
juggling
circus stuff
skateboarding freestyle
heres some I have helped auties with
model trains ( pick a gauge )
playing chess ( serious one )
remote control aircraft and/or drones ( racing and/or fun )
model building ( eg ships models of towns, ports etc serious money in this if u want clients ) talk to a guy on here called Plastic
board games fantasy and classic ( 80% autistic - some clubs )
wire trees some with jewels ( can be a business )
carving , wood turning, lathes routers ( I am helping my autie nephew build a life size R2D2 )
Everything Titanic !
Cars
motorcycles
vintage car / motorcycles
jigsaws ( very calming )
adult colouring in ( very calming )
people who build model working engines ( check Youtube amzing stuff )
science ( do a course on a science subject )
Astronomy ( join a club and see what happens )
Photography another biggee for auties --- My nephew drives all over for a photo --- he then created a calendar which he sold ( at a loss ) but hey what a beauty.
Art ( painting ) such a big area for autistic people to express themselves especially abstract painting ( i do some in here )
Lego models designing and building
reading of course
quizzing in a team or solo
my hobby is now meditation ! which has improved my mental health greatly ! ..... but autistic people generally stay away :(
Hi NoLogic. Welcome. Could you tell about your effort to find a new hobby? We auties have special interests and hyper focus and it could be difficult to find attention for something new, so I am curious, do you follow a deliberate approach of finding a new hobby?
Thanks, Ash. That's good that you've already found it useful. Same goes to you; feel free to message me if you want to chat. Hopefully see you around the forum soon
Hey welcome to the forum! I’ve only been here for a short time myself but have already found it all very useful. Feel free to get in touch if you fancy a chat about anything. Hope you enjoy posting and get all the help that you need and more.