Lockdown Life Skills - what new skills many of us learnt during lockdown

We tried our hand at making bath bombs

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With much of the past year spent in lockdown, life as we know it has been flipped upside down, even when restrictions are lifted, life at the moment isn't the same. Gone are the days of rushing here and there and travelling for hours to work with many opting to work from home for the long haul, has meant for some extra time saved on the commute and more time to try new things 

These are some of the most popular hobbies people have taken up over the past year

Running

It’s no surprise that a lot of us decided to take up running as our “one form of exercise”. With many calling it a “lockdown lifesaver”, research from Macmillan Cancer Support has found that almost one in 10 Brits have started running or jogging to look after their mental health during the pandemic. Running app Couch to 5K has become hugely popular and the London Marathon in October is set to be the biggest ever.

Photography

Lockdown has certainly taught us to appreciate our surroundings and what is on our doorstep, with many people heading outdoors for their daily exercise and taking their camera along with them. There’s been no end of budget-friendly online courses that many of us have signed up to in the hope of learning a bit more about photography.

Cutting Hair

With hairdressers being closed for months on end and though many women decided to love their roots and embrace their split ends & men growing out their hair and beards, many have still felt the need to tidy their locks. During the first lockdown, web searches for 'How to cut men's hair' increased by an incredible 632%. With many buying their own set of hairdressing scissors to make sure they do the job properly, we could have a generation of talented barbers on our hands.

Learning How to Cook

Many have been spending more time in the kitchen than ever before, so many have taken advantage and tried to increase their cookery knowledge. It takes little investment but promises to deliver a lot of satisfaction. Some of us have mastered the art of baking bread, while others have been learning to make pasta or pursuing the recipe for the perfect cookie. The majority of us, of course, can now bake banana bread with our eyes closed.

 

Riding a Bike

OK – I'm talking mainly about children here. Huge numbers of youngsters learnt how to ride a bike in lockdown, as it’s a great way to get outside and there were far fewer dangers on the roads. The good weather helped and now with children back at school, many are ditching the car or the bus and choosing to cycle to class instead.


With so many new skills being mastered, it’s no surprise that towards the end of 2020, more than half of us were planning to make a change to our careers as a direct result of the pandemic. Life may have been very difficult for the past year, but a lot of us are leaving lockdown with new talents that could change our lives – or even just bring us a little extra joy.