Will we be rushing back to cafes since the home barista craze during lockdown? Photo / Getty Images
Will we be rushing back to cafes since the home barista craze during lockdown? Photo / Getty Images
Covid-19 lockdowns force us all into a different kind of lifestyle.
Some of us are aching to be back in the office, heading back to uni or sending our kids off to school. Like countless other Kiwis, I'm counting down the days until I can hop on a plane to go see my family.
Maybe you can't wait to hit the shops for some well-deserved retail therapy as soon as restrictions lift, or you're dying to take your parents out for coffee at that cute new cafe without having to queue for your takeaways.
While the list of things to do after lockdown is a long one, there's no doubt a few things we're wary of bringing back - and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I'll admit my pre-lockdown coffee habit was fuelled by bought flat whites from the cafe across from the office.
But when level 4 hit and forced us all to rethink our caffeine intake, the art of perfecting the pour at home really took off.
Now that I can make myself a cafe-standard coffee at home, I'm hesitant to go out for coffee again. And now that we've had to make all our own food at home, I'd guess buying lunch might go out of style too.
Going back to the gym
Gyms are still closed, and while most Auckland gyms have very kindly frozen payments for their members, I realised I couldn't justify paying for something I wasn't making the most of even outside of lockdown.
Instead, more of us will be getting creative with home workouts or YouTube-guided sessions. Or maybe a brisk walk around the block is enough to get your heart rate up and boost your mood.
Wearing shoes
Okay, so we didn't literally stop wearing shoes during lockdown - there were still the supermarket runs (socks and slides, anyone?) and the obligatory daily walks.
But I found myself choosing comfort over style when it came to footwear, and that meant reaching for the same pair of sneakers every day.
While some of us are looking forward to dressing up again, I think heels are probably on the way out when it comes to office wear - we've grown too used to comfort.
Wearing makeup every day
Putting on makeup each day feels a little pointless when you're not going to see anyone. And while putting on foundation and mascara might make you feel better and more like yourself, there's something to be said for going barefaced.
Your skin gets a well-deserved break and you get the chance to get used to your natural (beautiful!) face. I'm a whole lot more comfortable going makeup-free than I was before lockdown.
If putting on makeup makes you feel great, then brush and bake away - but going without it when we emerge from lockdown might become the new norm.
Buying clothes
One of my colleagues pointed out that since lockdown, there are countless clothes in her wardrobe she no longer reaches for.
Granted, we don't exactly have any occasion to dress up and our sweats are getting more than their share of air time at the moment.
Lockdown will have seen many of us clearing out our wardrobes and realising we don't actually need half of what's hanging up in our closet.
Instead, why not donate the clothes you don't need or resolve to stop buying them new? It's a win for both your wallet and the environment.
Lockdown is the perfect opportunity to declutter your wardrobe. Photo / Getty Images
Shopping
I haven't seen the inside of a mall in nearly three months, and I've gotten so used to online shopping that I probably won't be rushing back into stores once lockdown lifts.
The awkward small talk with shop staff, accidentally bumping into people walking around, trekking from one end of the mall to the other because you've forgotten something - I don't miss any of that. Might stick to window shopping online.
But while there's nothing like chatting in person with colleagues or going on coffee runs, the work from home lifestyle is a whole lot more flexible and cuts out the commute time. Now that I can go without.
Scrolling social media
It's a habit that seems impossible to kick, but it feels like we can't get away from Instagram and Facebook at the moment.
I decided to try avoiding social media on the weekends and found it incredibly refreshing. It's a chance to step away from the overload of information swirling around out there, some of which, let's be honest, just makes us feel worse about everything.
It's important to give your mind a break from all the content we consume throughout the day. Taking some "offline days" is a habit I'll definitely be taking with me out of lockdown.
