During Lockdown, Meaningful Activity Is More Fulfilling Than Simply Staying Busy

By Emily Reynolds It’s not hard to find ways to stay busy during lockdown. Yes, many of us are spending lots of time at home and have evenings and weekends free from almost any kind of social activity — but we’re also juggling work, chores, childcare, life admin and the various emotional demands of living through a global pandemic. For some, in fact, staying busy has been an appealing prospect; indeed, hundreds of articles have been written with ideas on how to stay busy and distracted during the boredom of lockdown. But a new study from a team at Australia’s RMIT University, published in PLOS ONE, suggests that meaningful activity, rather than simply busyness, may be the way to stay emotionally stable during this period. All 95 participants were adults engaging in some form of social distancing. After sharing demographic data, participants rated themselves on a number of wellbeing measures, both as they were at the time of the study and as they were one month before the start of social distancing. These measures covered anxiety, panic, loneliness, depression, crying, cheerfulness, contentedness and laughter. Through these measures, the team was able to measure change in both positive and negative affect. Participants also indicated how much time they had spent on various activities before and during social distancing, including being outside the home, talking online and off, engaging with childcare or other chores, working, watching TV, reading or o...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Coronavirus Emotion Source Type: blogs