Lived Experience Forum

[Former-Member]

My two favorite hobbies of all time are reading and cooking! I can relax so much when I'm zoned out for hours in my favourite book, and I feel really good after cooking a decent meal.

My favourite way of cooking is my slow cooker; it literally takes away all the effort of cooking so I can spend more time relaxing and coping with my stressful life without burning the food! 

I don't necessarily have a favourite book, I tend to read a whole variety of books: non-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, literature, etc. I won't read books with a lot of gore in them if I'm not feeling great, but when I'm in a good mood these types of books are ok. When I'm in a bad state, I love reading children's literature, sci-fi (without too much of the fear factor and triggering stuff), financial advice, self-help, biographies, etc.

My slow cooker keeps me grounded in that when I'm not with it or feeling good, I remember the good meal I'm looking forward to. This is enough of a distraction for me, the majority of the time.

[Appleblossom]

Welcome to the forum @Former-Member 

I love reading all sorts like you and LOVED my slow cooker. It cos $20 on special at supermarket, lasted a decade and I am recycling the the insulator and putting it in my garden.   

It finally died this year, so I am on the lookout for another  .... some day ... not such a need in summer.

[Judi9877]

Hi @Former-Member and welcome to the forums. I'm so glad you like reading and cooking, especially with your slow cooker. I'm not a fan of cooking personally but I admire the people who get pleasure and enjoyment out of it. There's something very special about a warm home cooked meal that I love. My mum used to love cooking although she didn't really like the old age dilemma of what to cook for dinner each night. I'm the same with that. Finding dinner meals always seem to be so hard as an adult! 

As for reading, I do like reading but I have trouble maintaining my attention for a whole book, no matter what book I choose. I did pick up 2 books to read when I was sick in hospital in September but I'm yet to finish the books despite 1 of them being The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. 

Talk later.

Judi9877☺️🎄

[LookingHopeful]

Thank you @Former-Member for a lovely topic to read and to see what everyone else likes to do.

I often love reading books that help me better myself (I got really into simple finance books for a while like barefoot investor, she's on the money, tony robbins books etc) However, at this stage when I feel down I truly do not have any motivation to pick up those books as I have to be in the right frame of mind. 

I do have a stack of house/ garden type magazines you just reminded me of though and I should defintely pick them up today and flip through the pages. 

I do love to garden and look at house plants. I do not have either as I am in a new state simple rental that is not suited for either. Although I just got a simple cutting of a pothos vine and it has the tiniest of roots growing, I love going to look at it each day, even if there is no change.