If you picked up a new hobby over the last year or discovered a hidden passion, you’re not alone. As the COVID-19 pandemic forced people across the globe to stay at home, many looked for ways to fill up their lonely days.
While social distancing and quarantine were a welcome change for many, things slowly got boring. Suddenly, watching your money’s worth of TV on your Spectrum cable TV lost its charm. This is when so many started looking towards other outlets.
Many surveys from across the world reveal that some hobbies were especially popular during the lockdown. Did you adopt any of these?
1 Cooking and Baking
The pandemic truly made chefs out of many of us. In fact, people defined many phases of the pandemic through the food they made. And thanks to social media, no one did it in isolation. For instance, many people discovered the “dalgona” coffee in the early phase of the lockdown. Then, they moved on to bread. From experimenting with sourdough starters to learning to love banana bread, they did it all.
2 Running and Exercising
Plenty of people took the lockdown as an excuse to focus on their health. Since the daily grind of work leaves little time for personal grooming, this was the ideal time. Stuck at home, even the laziest folk were struck by the inspiration to be fit. And so, many YouTube fitness gurus gained thousands of new followers to became lockdown stars.
From cardio and strength training to HIIT and dance workout, people tried them all. And by trying all kinds of exercises, many even discovered a favorite!
Others opted to make use of lockdown rules by running outdoors. Since most places only allowed being outdoors for essential tasks and working out, a lot of people took up running. Anything for fresh air!
3 Yoga and Mindfulness
The lockdown also forced many people to look inwards. Hence, a lot of people started investing in their mental health. The stress from COVID-19 and its global effects really made it necessary for most. So, a lot of people discovered a love for mindful exercises like yoga. Similarly, a lot of people started meditating and journaling to calm themselves down.
4 Reading Books
A lot of people today complain that they no longer the way they once used to. Many self-proclaimed bookworms say they haven’t opened a book in years because of their addiction to screens.
Luckily, a lot of such people rediscovered their old love for books. In fact, some people turned into readers for the first time! With endless time alone at home, even screens can get tiring. So, people turned to literature to get back into their reading habits.
5 Discovering New Music
While everyone suffered through the pandemic in different ways, avid music fans felt the lockdown woes strongly. With concerts and music festivals canceled, music enthusiasts had nothing to do but stay home. Because of this, many people ended up discovering new music online.
Also, a lot of people turned to music to make repetitive household chores more fun. Similarly, students and employees working from home relied on music to not lose focus.
6 Binging TV Shows and Movies
Of course, everyone’s TVs stayed on for much longer than ever during the lockdown. From binging new shows to rewatching favorite comfort movies, most people started watching lots of TV.
With streaming sites like Netflix and Disney+ offering a huge array of things to watch, people stayed entertained the old-fashioned way.
7 Online Gaming
For gamers, the lockdown was another opportunity to stay home and play. A lot of people joined the online gaming community to virtually hang out with friends and kill time.
Moreover, even non-gamers took up casual gaming on their smartphones. For example, games like Among Us and online chess shot in popularity during the lockdown.
8 Art and Crafts
Did any of your friends suddenly start a social media page dedicated to art? Or did you suddenly discover a passion for water-painting? How about bullet journaling?
Chances are, yes. You’re not alone, because thousands across the world turned to art to cope with the lockdown. And surprisingly, many discovered they were not half bad!
