Return to “normal”

After the first national lockdown eased, we were already returning to pre- pandemic habits

AFTER the first national lockdown ended, people in Great Britain found themselves working more, but sleeping and enjoying themselves less. New data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that the amount of time spent on various activities shifted considerably between March/april and September/october.

For example, the average time spent working - both from home and on-site - increased from two hours and 32 minutes to three hours and eight minutes per day.

This is less than the usual eight hour working day because it includes people who do not work at all.

Meanwhile, the average amount of time spent sleeping per day decreased from nine hours and 11 minutes to eight hours and 53 minutes.

And the amount of hours spent consuming entertainment, socialising or enjoying free time decreased from five hours and 21 minutes to four hours and 55 minutes per day.

These changes may have been positive, however.

Dr David Crepaz-keay, head of applied learning at the Mental Health Foundation, said: "These figures do suggest that most of us have resumed something closer to ' normal life', as the pandemic has gone on.

“That isn't surprising and it may have had some mental health benefits, if returning to more normal patterns has helped people to feel more in control of their lives.”

Work, sleep and leisure weren't the only areas that saw a change.

In March/april this year, the amount of time that people put into gardening and DIY on any average day was 39 minutes - more than double the 16 minutes spent on these activities in the same period of 2015.

However, by September/october that figure had dropped to 28 minutes.

Meanwhile, the time people have spent studying has decreased over the period from nine to eight minutes.

And as people returned to work, men spent less time on unpaid household work - 18 minutes less on an average day.

Women, on the other hand, continued to cook, clean and perform a similar amount of household work as during lockdown; a total of two hours and 44 minutes.

As a result, the gender gap in unpaid work saw a shift towards prelockdown levels.

Women did an hour and 21 minutes more unpaid work than men.

While our activities may be returning to something approaching “normal”, charities say we should still be taking care of our mental health.

Stephen Buckley, head of information at Mind, the mental health charity, said: “We know that for many people, the challenges of lockdown had a detrimental effect on their mental health.

“In the run up to a Christmas that feels very different for most of us, it's important to take time where we can to protect our mental health.

“If you can, take some exercise too – even just a walk to your nearest park can break the monotony of being at home.

“We're all adjusting to restrictions and the most important message is, however you're choosing to spend your time, be kind to yourself.”