Music playing? Like guitar, ukulele, keyboard, harmonica

Or arts and craft, like watercolor, knitting, etc

I like to sit around and tie knots. It keeps my hands busy and I feel like it’s something that could actually be of use too. First Class Amateur on YouTube is a great way to start.

Ropes, strings, cords, whatever you want to call it, can all be found just about anywhere and are pretty inexpensive

There is also the wide world of weaving/braiding bracelets and things. Google Macrame and boondoggle knots

I make tiny towns out of paper, and foam. Based on unfinished wood rounds and painted with craft paint. Very cheap but rewarding.

With the low cost, it’s low stress as even a failure only puts you out a few bucks.

Building Gaslands cars is similarly fun and cheap. Get some Hotwheels cars and glue junk to them to make Mad Max cars.

And for more free time outside. Hiking is cheap, and some sun (with sunscreen!) is good for you and your mood. Hat, water pack, cordless silicon earbuds and play something on your phone and walk. Seriously, sunlight is positive for helping with depression in a ton of ways.

So about a year ago I was having issues with eye strain, turns out playing video games that have bright deserts with a high default gamma on an already bright display causes temporary problems. I had a hard time looking at a screen for about a month. So I decided to start playing over the board chess at the local club and still do. Great way to hang out with people without screens involved.

You can also make chess pieces, boards or whole sets and probably make some good bank if the work is good.

Cooking is fun and you can eat the results. Find a recipe or a dish you’ve always wanted to try that is a little hard for your current cooking level but not impossible and spend a fun afternoon , in my case making chocolate eclairs from scratch. Mine look like turds but taste amazing, can’t wait to try again.

I’ve become a big fan of knitting while watching movies. Two hours later I’ve seen a new movie and have made good progress on a hat!

I recently got into making foam inserts for my board game collection. Startup cost is low, just need a flat surface to work on and some patience. After measuring, cutting and gluing for a few hours, waiting for a few more for things to dry, then finally being able to assemble everything so it all fits “just right” is incredibly satisfying!

Papercraft. You can print out templates and they can get pretty elaborate.

My wife started with crochet a year ago by getting a Woobles kit, and now she crochets all the time, so that’s probably a good place to start.

You could also check out a community art closet if there’s one near you and start with anything that happens to be available in there.

Book binding.

I make my own hotsauces and chili salsa’s. You can go crazy with recipes, while it can’t really go wrong. I also give them to friends who love them.

A friend of mine makes his own ciders (apple or pear). Very cheap to make with minimal investment. Easy to learn, hard to master.

I’ve been looking into making cheese, which apparently is also easy to do, and only requires some special cloth so low investment too.

If you’re not into food/drinks; my gf crochets and knits. She learned it from youtube, and can make some cool stuff!

Origami is pretty fun and cheap, and can be taken to craft fairs I suppose. You can find guides pretty much anywhere, and you can start making cool-looking stuff right away without fancy materials.

You can use normal paper for the simpler stuff – just cut it to square by folding it into a right triangle first and folding the little leftover on the one side and cutting it off (or ripping it carefully).

Thin paper helps for the more complicated pieces, and you can get cool-looking patterns… but it’s totally not necessary to get started.

Macramé just requires string and knowing how to make some types of knots. No special instruments needed (although in actuality a clip to hold the string is very useful and others to hold parts if you get super complicated). Something interesting off the bat is a david and goliath type sling big enough to toss a tennis ball if you have a dog.

Not sure what country you are in or your budget, but what about signing up for a evening course?

I started with pottery, 5 times a 2h. A couple of years later I had a permanent place in a proper studio.

Woodworking? Painting? Tufting? Modelmaking?

To avoid looking at tutorials on a screen and if money is an issue. If you’ve got basic things like pen and paper. Drawing/doodling is a great place to start. Doesn’t matter if you don’t think it’s good, just experiment.

You could try things like writing (especially if you’re struggling with mental health issues) whether that be a sort of diary or wiring a story that tries to explain your feelings/struggles. My therapist actually recommended this to me and I found it incredibly helpful, especially as someone who has always hated writing. You can tear it up afterwards as well.

Knitting/Crochet is probably a little more than expensive, especially getting the tools, but is really good for giving your brain a break and falling into a rhythm.

Gardening, sounds odd, but you could buy some seeds for very little and try growing some things. It’ll be slow, but it will get you outside and it’s been proven to help improve mental health.

Walking without music. Just focus on your senses and what your seeing. Can be a great way to get your mind free of anxieties and stresses.

Puzzles - it’s an activity that will also keep you busy and also isn’t too strenuous.

Wood carving/whittling