From the Newsroom

Clarence Valley residents have been engaging in new hobbies and outdoor activities to boost mental health and pass the time during lockdown. Image: Emma Pritchard.

Residents lock in new hobbies during lockdown

Emma Pritchard|

 

Walking, jogging, rowing, gardening, painting, meditating, cleaning, online yoga, binging Netflix, home renovating, gaming, drawing…

The list is endless.

As the state-wide lockdown continues, Clarence Valley residents are adopting several engaging strategies and exploring new hobbies to help pass the time as favourable outdoor activities are temporarily restricted.

Interactive online activities and mentally stimulating hobbies including online gaming and YouTube fitness demonstrations, find-a-words, crosswords, jigsaws and outdoor exercise have been the most popular hobbies elected by locals to combat lockdown fatigue.

Some locals recently shared their tips and newfound hobbies with the Clarence Valley Independent.

John Gregson: I’ve always liked solving sudoku puzzles, so I’ve been working on a lot of those during lockdown. My grandkids bought me a whole collection of sudoku books for Christmas last year, and I’ll say they’ve certainly come in handy during the past few weeks. The only thing is my youngest grandson who is three thought the puzzles were part of a colouring in book and he’s coloured in most of the squares. Every time I start solving a new puzzle, I have to write the numbers around his drawings on the pages. He’s definitely made the books more colourful though.

Jennifer Schofield: I’ve been binging on Netflix. I recently started watching a lot of shows my kids have been into like Superstore and Good Girls, but now that I’m watching the same shows as them, they just think I’m trying to be cool by liking the things they like. There is so much negativity in the news nowadays that I prefer watching TV shows because they distract you. Plus, they’re also quite addictive.

Kira-Lee Williams: I’ve been learning to ride my bike without training wheels, but I’m still not very good.

Kelsey Thomas: My aunt planted a veggie patch earlier this year and she’s been teaching me about all the things she grows in it. She lives in Brisbane and she calls me on my Mum’s phone with FaceTime so she can show me everything she’s growing. I’ve been learning about all the different vegetables she’s growing like peas and cabbage.