Although we’re all pretty busy there’s nothing that will help you de-stress more than picking up a new hobby. Be it a new sport to a new language, here are some of our favourite skills that you could pick up this year. ______________________________________ Try a new sport If you are into sport why not look around for something new to try? Our top one for 2016 has to be cricket after we headed out training with the Irish women's cricket team at the end of last year. Learn a new language There’s nothing more frustrating when you are abroad then not being able to communicate with the locals. Be it brushing up on your secondary school French or German, taking beginner’s Spanish or Italian (or any other language for that matter!), learning a new language is a great way to spend one of the dark weekday nights and again – you will be meeting new people. Take a course Often wondered how your friend did her make-up so brilliantly? Maybe you have always envied the way people can do their hair, or want to learn how to build, draw or create something? There are thousands of courses to choose from and are on offer in secondary schools and local government offices around the country. Time management Organize yourself this 2016. Make a resolution to yourself to give a bit of time in every day, every week, over to yourself. Be it taking time out to read a book, go for a walk, or just organize yourself, time management is a skill in itself. Budget A great skill to learn in this day and age is how to budget properly. As boring as it sounds, getting on top of your money on a monthly basis can actually relieve a lot of the stress in your life – stress that you might not even know you were carrying around. Keeping track of what is coming in and going out of your account each month will help you sort out those financial worries. Dance your cares away Dance is not only a brilliant way of getting some vital exercise, but also helping you to meet new people and boost your energy. Be it tango, salsa, rumba or waltzes, there are all types of dance classes out there for people of all levels. Yoga Yoga and Pilates are two brilliant ways of helping your body and your mind. Not only is it a fantastic skill to have, but you can do it in a class or from the comfort of your own home thanks to the wonders of modern technology. Music makes the world go round Ever dreamt of being able to pull out a guitar at a house party and dazzle everyone with your skill (no? just us then?!), well 2016 should be the year that you learn a new instrument. From the tin whistle to the piano, the drums to the guitar, there are hundreds of different ones to choose from (we are going for the bodhrán here ourselves!). Cook up a storm One skill that will never get old is learning how to cook. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, five-star cooking course, but even just learning the basics (seriously, does someone expect me to cook Christmas dinner!?) will give you massive satisfaction. And if you are already past the basics stage, why not look around for something more challenging – perhaps learning how to cook the cuisine from different countries. Nom. And then, you have the perfect excuse for holding a Come Dine With Me style evening.