As the quarantine extends from days to months, more and more people find themselves stuck inside the four walls of their homes. Perhaps due to the extended period of having to stay at home, many people are beginning to pick up new hobbies or renovation projects. This lead to a sudden boom in both the DIY and renovation industry and the implications are interesting.
The DIY Boom
Many companies are reporting increased earnings in the second quarter of 2020, and they are attributing this to the quarantine. From DIY gardening sets to tea-making kits, companies all over the globe are experiencing an increase in activity in the otherwise economically damaging times that is the global pandemic. Small to medium enterprises are enjoying an increased revenue of up to 250%. As the pandemic rages on the lockdown slowly lifted in some areas, this number is only expected to rise even more.
What does this mean to the economy? Business leaders say it’s good. The economy is slowly recovering as companies begin to learn how to adjust and navigate in the ‘new normal’, and monthly surveys covering different states are showing more and more improvement. As both large and small companies start understanding how to work despite the restrictions, we can only expect that the economy will recover very soon.
A Greener Future?
Many have now realized the heavy importance of having a garden or plants inside their homes. Decorative plants have become a trend in recent times, thanks to its stress-relieving effects and other health benefits. Gardening and landscaping are also revitalized, with people learning to harness their green thumb to pass the time or to gain access to fresh ingredients following the sudden shortage of food supplies in major grocery stores. Others have opted for professional landscape installation to provide a respite from the urbane feeling of their houses.
Be it professional or DIY, gardening truly does bring some interesting implications. Especially during these unpredictable times, gardening takes on an important role as it not only provides a mental relief but also a potential food source. Let’s take a look at why people are getting into DIY gardening, and perhaps consider whether you should start your garden as well.
To Shake off the Cabin Fever
As evidenced by the restlessness people have felt all throughout the quarantine, we as people have the need to go outside and be under the sun. This isn’t just quackery: cabin fever is real, and it’s defined as a litany of negative emotions brought about by being confined spaces for a long time. The symptoms can include irritability, restlessness, and anxiety.
Gardening provides you a reason to go out of the confines of your home, even if it’s just to go to your backyard or terrace. Working on plants or even just being surrounded by plants give relief thanks to the organic feeling that greenery provides. The exposure to vitamin D from having to work under the sun also brings health benefits, such as increasing the calcium level of your bones to boosting your immune system.
As a Food Source
The pandemic affected a lot of industries, and it has also disrupted the food supply and production all over the world. This has led to shortages of certain ingredients, causing panic as groceries fail to re-stock their supplies.
Planting fruit-bearing plants, however, provide a degree of defense against this. Producing your own food provides a sense of relief from not having to rely on the fickle food supply chain. While planting your own food might take a while before you get to harvest its benefits, the efforts won’t be wasted.
Alternative food sources should still be kept in mind as not the pandemic has changed the layout of the food plants. People across media have begun to take notice of this as well, as social media highlights growing your own food. Internet influencers feature their harvest on social media, encouraging others to plant their own.
Encourages Healthy Eating
The pandemic has brought health and wellness to the forefront of everyone’s lives. The fact is that 1 in 10 adults get enough nutrients due to the lack of vegetables and fruits in their diet. With the sudden awareness of needing to stay healthy, gardening encourages and promotes you to eat healthily and work up a sweat while you’re at it.
Research has shown that those who grow their own food are most likely to eat healthily. Along with the physical exercises that come with planting and taking care of plants, gardening promotes health and wellness all throughout. Especially in these times when health has truly become wealth, staying healthy and keeping fit is and should be everyone’s concern.
