Many people know Pinterest as a place for recipes, home décor ideas and DIY. However, with COVID-19 creating new life stressors, more people than ever before are turning to Pinterest for wellbeing and self-care. In fact, Pinterest has recently seen the highest searches ever around mental wellness ideas including meditation (+44%), gratitude (+60%) and positivity (+42%) that jumped from February to May. Pinners are looking for creative ways to navigate and cope with their “new normal,” so we took a closer look at their shifting priorities to understand which trends will live out the remainder of 2020.
Planning for an optimistic future
With the world continuing to be unpredictable, people are looking for mindful methods to navigate uncertainty with searches for ‘stress relief activities’ up 4.7x. Other rising health- and wellness-related searches include:
- ‘productive morning routine’ (6x)
- ‘exercise routine at home’ (12x)
- ‘self care night routine’ (7x)
- ‘gratitude journal prompts’ (8x)
- ‘mindfulness activities for kids’ (3x)
- ‘kids workout routine’ (+73%)
Challenges and uncertainty also spark new ideas, creativity and a now-or-never-attitude - and now is the time to plan for that house, family, trip or business that you always wanted. Since the beginning of the Pandemic Pinners have been searching for inspiration related to ‘starting a new business’ (+ 35%), when they normally rise at the turn of the new year. May is when Pinners started to look to the future again with rising searches for ‘future life goals’ (2x), ‘life bucket list’ (+65%), ‘family goals future’ (+30%) and ‘future house goals’ (+78%) as the need increased to take back control and proactively create the life you love ahead.
Mindful living at home
Pinners are getting creative setting up new spaces indoors to come together as a family and have fun. We are seeing the following searches on the rise related to home:
- kitchen family rooms (14x)
- modern kids playroom (4x)
- gamer girl room (9x)
- boys game room (13x)
- basement game room ideas (5x)
After being at home for months—sometimes in small apartments without outdoor spaces—it’s no surprise that gardens and outdoor areas, however limited in space, have become the heart of the home. This is a continuation of the ‘Home Hub’ theme we identified in this year’s Pinterest 100 2020 report. In addition to statistics that show increased searches for new homes with gardens and in the countryside, Pinners are also improving their current spaces. Searches have increased for ‘outdoor spaces on a budget’ (up 3X), ‘diy patio ideas on a budget’ (up 17X), as well as ‘backyard oasis on a budget’ (up 5X). While Pinners are at home, they are also setting up their homes for social gatherings and creating private getaways with friends and family indicated by increasing searches for ‘garden bar ideas’ (6x), ‘bohemian garden party' (7x), ‘garden dinner party’ (+36%), ‘diy garden fountains’(42x) as well as 'backyard privacy ideas on a budget' (+75%).
Compassionate search updates for stress relief during COVID-19 as searches for wellness hit historic highs
Pinners are 20% more likely than the rest of the population to have mental and emotional wellbeing top of mind during COVID-19. In response, and with experts like those at Brainstorm, the Stanford Lab for Mental Health Innovation, we’ve updated our compassionate search feature with information most helpful to those experiencing stress during COVID, now accessible by typing #pinterestselfcare in search. Here, Pinners can find wellbeing exercises that can help if they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. *
Emma in Portland, Oregon:
“My Pinterest use has changed, but for the better. Planning for a future after COVID is so much more immediate than planning for a future after mental illness. COVID will end, but depression might not. And if being in quarantine has taught me anything, it is that the big, bright future I've been making boards about on Pinterest needs to start today, whether I'm ready or not. So, I've been waiting with the rest of the country for this pandemic to slow down, but I've also been waiting on myself for a lot longer than that. I've been waiting for my real life to begin, without realizing that I'm already in it. I've been grateful to Pinterest for helping me to plan, but it's time that I let Pinterest help me to LIVE. After this pandemic, perfection (on social media or in real life) is no longer required.”
We’ll continue listening to Pinners about how we can make Pinterest a positive place and provide resources and ideas that can help manage through the new issues we’re all navigating.
You can find high resolution images here. #StayInspired
*available in US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland
1 Searches containing these keywords increased from February ‘20 to May ‘20. Monthly searches continue to be at a historical high through June.
2 Trend calculated by comparing normalized searches in the four week period of 5/18/20-6/14/20 to the same timeframe the previous year.
3 All trends in sub-bullets have been calculated by comparing normalized searches in the four week period of 5/18/20-6/14/20 to the same timeframe the previous year.
4 Source: Global web index, March 2020, US.
5 Searches containing the phrase “starting a business” increased 35% from February ‘20 to May ‘20.
6 Trends calculated by comparing normalized searches in the four week period of 5/18/20-6/14/20 to the same timeframe the previous year.
7 Trends calculated by comparing normalized searches in the four week period of 5/18/20-6/14/20 to the same timeframe the previous year.
8 Trends calculated by comparing normalized searches in the four week period of 5/18/20-6/14/20 to the same timeframe the previous year.