It has become more important than ever to make the most of your leisure time.
With the advent of Covid 19 and the different levels of restrictions, many people found that they were able to look at their leisure hours with a fresh pair of eyes.
This led to more people taking up exercise regimes which included everything from jogging, walking, bike riding and even roller skating.
Even though the increase in leisure time was not the same for everyone, there was no longer the necessity to commute to work. Rather than be caught in traffic for long periods or needing to catch connecting train and bus services, most people found that they had a significant amount of extra time on their hands.
What did they do with that time?
The uptake in craft and leisure activities
One of the sharpest growing fields of industries during the pandemic was to the leisure industry.
This saw a wide-ranging growth in hobbies, sports and other everyday past-times such as:
- Knitting and sewing
- Cooking and baking
- Chess and puzzles
- Pool, snooker and billiards
- Darts, kite flying and origami
- Reading, yoga and gardening
The list goes on, but the popularity of even the most niche hobbies and leisure activities saw unprecedented growth and many of those new devotees have become long term converts.
Soon those who had bought the basics of dartboards and accessories were more than happy in going one step further and buying a quality dartboard cabinet.
That simple joy became a weekly routine and sometimes a regular family bonding session.
The beauty of a hobby or pastime is ensuring that the events of the day are put into perspective and that the stresses and worries are not as overwhelming as they can seem to be.
This ability to switch off and stay off a screen has proven to be a healthy option beyond the Covid lockdowns. Removing the stress is important to your overall well-being.
A shift in focus to how you looked
There was another side effect of the lockdowns that people were often forced to look at themselves in an unusual way.
With the advent of working from home, most of the workforce still needed to meet and discuss work matters online.
This saw the issue of a large portion of the working population needing to join video meetings and have their faces visible on-screen.
Initially, there was often a light-hearted approach to seeing each other in this scenario, but as time went by, an increasing number of people became aware of certain personality traits.
Some asked themselves why they wore their hair a certain way and even to the extent why they bothered to dye their hair. Others could notice that they didn’t smile much, looked a bit odd in the glasses they were wearing, and the issues of vanity arose as well.
This is when groups of people withdrew from trying to get ‘dolled up’ for the camera and adopted a more natural look. Others became fixated on how they were ageing and focussed on each and every possible flaw.
The pleasure of dressing up
There has been a growing popularity for getting dressed up and for trying different looks and styles over recent years.
Even online work conferences and staff meetings were peppered with people dressing up in costumes and zany outfits. There were even special events like a Dress Up Friday which encouraged staff to join in on a fancy dress theme to help connect on a more informal level.
This is when special items like colour contact lenses really began to take off.
Many countries saw a huge rise in fancy dress occasions and there was a huge growth in sales and demand for the colored contact lenses Australia was going crazy for.
The dressing-up fashion extended to online fancy dress parties and Halloween events (even outside of the traditional Halloween period). This is when the freakier and wackier versions of coloured lenses such as Halloween-themed Solotica lenses were in hot demand.
Apart from the range of high-quality Solotica contacts, there was also a trend to find the most outlandish and strangest lenses such as Sclera lenses which cover most or even all of the eyes for a quite freaky look.
The fun of everyday life
These days, even though the Covid restrictions are considered a thing of the past, there is still an urge to make more of it every day.
This includes finding ways to enjoy different aspects of the so-called mundane world.
You will often discover new and exciting ways that people have found to entertain themselves and interact with others.
Even with a return to face-to-face meetings and interaction, there is still growth in online community groups and digital meeting places.
With the previous stigma of having online relationships gone, some have found that there are many advantages in spending new ways to connect with others.
This can include a purely online experience, a move to meet in person or a mix of both worlds.
It is interesting to note that there has been a real shift in what is considered acceptable in social terms from the different demographics.
Joining in with the pleasure of leisure
One surprising aspect of the increased focus on what to do in our leisure time has been the acceptance of different age groups and social groups across the spectrum.
It is no longer considered strange or bizarre that a teenager will find an elderly person’s craft website or YouTube channel to be one of their favourites as they learn a new skill.
Similarly, an older person may discover a young person’s channel, music or vlog to be a great source of entertainment.
The boundaries to where and how people use their leisure time have fallen by the wayside and it is no wonder that there remains a growing interest in niche activities like finger stitching and miniature artworks.
The good news is that we all have more opportunities to find ways and new inspirations that allow us to enjoy more of our leisure time.
