Lockdown has allowed us to start new passion projects, as well as hone previously existing skills we seldom had time for.
Whether it’s baking, cooking, cycling or cross-stitching, all the extra downtime has been a welcome addition to our lives during an unprecedented time.
But with lockdown measures easing across the world, people are slowly starting to enjoy things previously not allowed.
This means the hobbies we picked up along the way might be put back on the shelf as we appreciate the novelty of going back to life pre-lockdown.
This may be a shame considering that, for some, being at home and focusing on hobbies and self-care was having a positive effect on their mental health.
Recently, hobbies have helped us survive and get through a frightening situation as well as structure our time.
And not only that, the lockdown has provided a unique opportunity to reclaim hobbies that don’t depend on money.
We have had to find ways to entertain ourselves using resources we always had, or invested in things that would pay off in the long run, whether a cookbook, a sewing kit, an instrument, and more. And we have enjoyed most of those hobbies without having to pay an establishment for the privilege.
Now that lockdown seems to be in the final stretches, it’s important to continue to make time for these free activities that we have come to cherish.
For some people, the chance to pick a hobby and perfect it has been an ode to their culture and history.
This is true for author Alya Mooro, who has written about being a Middle Eastern woman and now finds herself learning Arabic during the pandemic.
She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I hated going to Arabic school when I was young and really rebelled against it so never really was able to read and that has increasingly bothered me in recent years.
‘But I never had the time or space to actually think of doing something about it, it just felt like this commitment I wouldn’t be able to meet.
‘During lockdown, I’ve had the time (saved from commuting / going out, etc) to dedicate time every day to learning on Duolingo.’
Though Alya is set to face the hustle and bustle of life once London reopens, she says she will commit to maintaining the hobby.
‘They say it takes 21 days to make a habit so I feel confident that its something I’ll continue now that it’s part of my routine. Without lockdown I don’t think I would have started.’
Similarly, Rosie Munshi’s new sewing hobby isn’t random, but a shout-out to her mum who used to be in the garment industry in the 70s.
She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I was a complete novice and have been wanting to learn for years but always thought it was too complicated because we only have a huge industrial one as my mum used to sew for High Street brands back in the 70s.
‘I finally bought a small second-hand sewing machine while in lockdown because I thought I would have so much more time to spend with my mum and pick up what I think is an essential skill. It actually ended up being my dad who’s been giving me lessons every week!
‘First, we mastered setting it up, then he gave me homework of making a tote bag (it’s all straight lines so pretty easy) and now I’ve just finished a mini apron.’
Once life continues, Rosie is determined to keep up her new pastime.
‘I’ll definitely continue learning because I love the idea of having one-off pieces that no one else has and in an ideal world I’d love to have an independent fashion label of my own.
‘I also love that something unexpected has bought me and my dad closer too, so for sentimental reasons I think I’ll always continue.’
For writer Lucy Jane Santos, time in lockdown has been an opportunity to pick up something she started two decades ago.
‘My new hobby is Egyptian hieroglyphs – something has been putting off for 20 years,’ she tells us.
’20 years ago I finished a degree in Egyptian archaeology and swore blind I would keep up the study. But I never started again and always regretted letting it lapse.
‘I’m learning this using a combination of apps and old books and is going really well.’
She says she plans to maintain the pastime by working on it 15 minutes every day once lockdown ends.
Hobbies have always important and there are physical, mental, emotional and social benefits of developing them.
Dr Yllka Krasniqi Morina, a psychologist for the NHS says that hobbies can not only bring instant joy but also long-term personal development.
She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Life is full of the daily mundane obligations, your “you” time is just as important as these. Outside often very long working hours and daily commitments, taking the time to give yourself something that brings joy and purpose is full of benefits for our mental health and wellbeing.
‘Direct benefits of hobbies include the physical (such as through exercise, dance and movement), feeling empowered through creative freedom and cognitive focus such as the ability to concentrate on a pleasurable activity without the day-to-day interruptions of life. As well as having control over how one spends their valuable time.
‘Indirect benefits of hobbies include a sense of achievement and goals, new learning experiences, increased social contact, and formation of new connections.’
In a world that values consumerism, busyness, and the constant consumption of goods, prioritising our personal enjoyment can be the ideal way to resist.
Of course, not all hobbies happen without tangible resources.
If the recent swelling of Amazon’s fortune is anything to go by, people are flocking online to purchase the tools they need to develop their new pastimes (you need a knitting kit if you want to take up knitting, after all).
But these purchases are in hopes of fulfilling long-term ambitions often unrelated to career goals, which is welcome amid a generation that values instant gratification and throwaway culture.
Before lockdown, there was very little available to facilitate learning new skills or practicing old ones, or just to be at leisure, for free. If you wanted to play a sport, you’d need a gym membership or book a court, if you wanted to hang out with your pals you’d need to go to a bar, restaurant, or lounge.
Libraries were one of the few free places offering a free activity, open to all.
In times of a global crisis, people have once again started embracing free and public spaces such as parks to reestablish their hobbies and meet loved ones.
Freelance academic and author Christine Berry says we should take the lessons learned in the lockdown as a way to contest 21st-century capitalism that has us paying to enjoy all aspects of our lives.
‘The government’s approach to easing lockdown has prioritised restarting activities where money changes hands: you can now let a cleaner into your home, but not your mother,’ says Christine.
‘This makes no sense to most people because it’s at odds with our real priorities. Lockdown has shown us the things we care about most: our families, our friends, a sense of connection and fulfillment.
‘As we rebuild, we need to keep this focus on what really matters: the economy must serve people, not the other way around. We need to reduce our dependence on this money-circulation juggernaut and find more human and sustainable ways of providing for each other.’
The lockdown has also brought in to question the importance of time and how prior to this, most of it was catered around going to and being at work.
Christine hopes that as we begin to rise slowly into our normal lives, we should now push for things we had the luxury of enjoying in lockdown: more time for self-care, fulfilment, joy.
‘Time has bent and distorted in strange ways during lockdown: some people have more time on their hands than ever, while others (especially parents with children at home) have never had less.
‘As we exit lockdown there’s a really strong case for reduced working hours, crucially alongside higher wages. Not only would this give us more time to pursue the things we really value, it could also combat the likely rise in unemployment by spreading work around more evenly.
‘In turn, this would allow for more equal sharing of unpaid care work in the home, which currently falls disproportionately on women.’
So, if you’ve found a hobby that is meaningful to you and that you want to continue exploring after lockdown, it may be worth negotiating your work/life balance with your employers.
Many firms will be making changes post-lockdown. It may be a case of liaising with bosses about the things you want to prioritise, such as hobbies – perhaps a four-day week, or shorter hours, earlier finish times.
In some ways our hobbies are a middle finger to the demands of capitalism.
Maybe after lockdown, we should try to focus on the activities that feed our soul and mental wellbeing, rather than just the economy.
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