After over a decade as an enlisted infantry Marine, my husband jumped ship and crossed over to the dark side as an officer.
When he made the switch, two things happened: he found himself stressed studying more than ever before, and he found himself absolutely bored out of his ever-loving mind in between training classes to become a Marine pilot.
In a moment of serious desperation, he took to Facebook to plead with his veteran buddies to share their favorite hobbies for dealing with stress and boredom, and they did not disappoint.
In no particular order, here are 13 hobbies these veterans recommend for dealing with stress:
1. Woodworking
Here’s what Newt Anderson wrote: “I recommend woodworking. Start simple, carving. Otherwise you could go down the road of coloring books! You would be surprised how relaxing both can be. A good set of woodworking tools is a must though. Don’t skimp on those or the blisters you get will make you regret it.” But is woodworking profitable? Well, that depends on your skills, the type of woodworking you do, and how much time and effort you put into it. With the right approach, woodworking can be a very lucrative endeavor.
2. Beer Making
David Sap recommended beer making. Mr. Beer carries a pretty wide variety of starter kits for brewing your own beer, and they claim to be simple, clean, and time efficient. Which is great, because time efficient means more time to brew more beer. Where are my peanuts?
3. Quad Racing
“Quad racing. You should check out Tiny Whoop.” Lucy Goosy
4. Running
Brad Etzweiler and Titus Vanguard both recommended running.
Nothing says “I’m stressed about flight school and the fact that I’m old and fat and can’t run as fast as these boots in my class anymore and I study too much and I also need a stress reliever,” like running a triathlon. Right? RIGHT??
5. Kayaking
Gilberto Burbante recommended kayaking. One summer I tried kayaking in white water. As it turns out, I cannot breathe under water and also I suck at kayaking.
6. Pole Dancing
Hales Fuller fully supports pole dancing as an extracurricular. I am immensely interested in seeing my husband do this. *runs away to install a pole*
7. RC Racing
“RC car racing. I enjoy it and still cheaper then the real thing. It gets addicting though and then you spend the money.” Jack Burton is right, though — it looks expensive.
8. Guitar
My father-in-law, James Foley, (a retired Master Guns and Viet Nam vet) recommended my husband learn to play guitar. I have no objections.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Carrie Gatz, an instrumentalist with the 566th Air Force Band, Illinois Air National Guard, plays guitar for a hospice patient at her civilian job Sept. 11, 2013.
9. BBQing
“Buy you a smoker — time off, smoke ribs and stuff,” wrote Ryan Clay. Bob Waldren agreed, “I second this. Go hunting and get yourself a few Florida bucks.”
10. All the water sports in Florida
Phil John wrote, “Jet ski. [You pay the] initial cost for the ski but then you’re just paying gas. We love ours! Also, spear fishing is a blast. Paddle boarding/ kayaking is great.”
11. Do you even lift, Bro?
My brother-n-law Chuck, also a Marine, recommended lifting. Get thine arse to a gym, brah.
12. Learn a new language
In addition to lifting, Chuck recommended learning a new language. Homeboy already speaks some Spanish, Farsi, and something else — Arabic maybe?
Extra credit for swear words.
13. Get your sophistication on
Aside from running, Titus Vanguard also recommended, “Books. Read books and run… you are an officer now.” Adulting is hard.
Dr. Seuss is on the Commandant’s Reading List, right?
Screw it. Where’s that beer brewing thing at?
How do you relieve stress? Leave a comment and let us know!