What’s up with the ‘out and about’ brigade?

[Nayouknow]

You know the ones. ‘I like to be out and about’ brigade. The ‘I’d be climbing the walls if I didn’t leave the house every day’ crew. The people who view time spent in their homes to be ‘wasted’ and time spent outside it to somehow automatically be more rewarding/interesting/energising/virtuous/insert positive.

I’ve only really come across this sort of mentality on MN and I find it fascinating. What’s their deal? Do they not like their homes? Do they have no indoor pursuits that they enjoy enough to be occupied for one day? Is it the actual outside air (not to be confused with the air in their gardens, as those of them who have gardens are generally very clear that hanging out in the garden isn’t sufficient)? Are they hardcore extroverts?

Like everyone else I know, I like to go out and I like to stay in. Walks are nice. Activities are nice. Spending a weekend at home cooking/reading/watching box sets/playing with DS is also nice. Based on their comments, the aforementioned crew would consider the latter a ‘wasted weekend’.

I dunno but I have to get out at least once a day or I feel all funny, maybe it’s being raised with dogs that always needed walking and now I need walking as well? I do think the “must leave the house at least once a day” thing is different to the “Must have a full programme of activities” people. Two of my best friends are like that and honestly I think they’re both just very sociable!

DM won’t stay in. She comes to visit and wants to be out and about every day. It’s our holiday. We want to be in, playing board games, socialising with each other.

Drives us all potty, she’s like a toddler that needs to be taken out for an airing.

She has no people skills so finds being at home boring- she doesn’t want to listen, she only wants to talk, so doesn’t enjoy being in family situations where other people may want to say things or decide things.

I know a few people like this. I don’t care if people want to go out all the time, it’s the constant comments that some people make, if we stay home for a few days.

My mum used to say things like ‘Oh what a waste of a day’, ‘do you not get bored’, and my favourite ‘you’re wasting your life away’.....all because I had spent a weekend at home? 😅 She was always ‘busy’. If someone wasn’t busy, they are lazy apparently. Busy was being at the supermarket as soon as it opened. Crazy bastard.

I actually go out and do lots, my life is fuller than my mothers ever was, I like hiking with our dogs, running, theatres, meals out, concerts, holidays etc. But sometimes I like being home too. It’s half term this week and my daughter is revising for exams. We’ve mostly stayed home all week and it’s been lovely.

I get bored inside my house.

Especially on nice days. I can sit in the garden all day no problem though. I'm

Yes, I agree. I have a 3YO and baby. We go out every single day. I feel a bit down and groggy if we don't get out. The day drags.

I have to leave the house every day. Apart from the confinements for COVID, I can count on 2 hands the number of days I didn't leave the house in my 43 years of life and that's been down to swine flu and recovering from surgery. It doesn't make me a better person; it's just my preference. I've lived most of my adult life in small apartments without a garden.

I love to be outside, if I didn’t have a garden I’d be ‘out and about’ every day.

I only eat and sleep at home. If I'm not eating or sleeping then I go out. I'm not an extrovert and enjoy my own company. But I'd rather enjoy my own company outside

My mum can't sit on her behind her job meant she never sat on her behind, so she she's always out and about since retiring just because she gets restless in the house.

I have a friend who seemingly goes into a panic if she doesn't have every day filled with friends, sport, activities, meet-ups to the point she will double book herself in case other plans fall through.
This is extreme to me and I assume because she cannot be alone, or sit with her thoughts.

We live in a national park honeypot though and I would sooner shit in my hands and clap than fight for road/footpath/beach/shop/table space, so I stay home every weekend whether I'm climbing the walls or not. It's still preferable to the alternative.

I think in most cases they're hardcore extroverts.

Or they have mental health struggles/trauma that mean being still or quiet or alone is problematic for them.

I would sooner shit in my hands and clap than fight for road/footpath/beach/shop/table space

Some of these comments! Just, thank you. 🤣🤣🤣

Everyone's different.

I like a mixture of both - too much time at home sends me a bit doolally but equally I don't like being outdoors everyday either.

Funnily enough I was thinking about this today as I used to feel a lot of pressure to be out & about all time. I used to think it was good for DD to have lots of different experiences. Fast forward a few years & DD has a diagnosis of autism & I have a long term health condition & our lives are much quieter. Sometimes I miss having a bit more going on but then I remember how stressful it could be rushing about. I’ve learnt to embrace a quieter pace of life & having the freedom from so many obligations.

I'm guessing it's people who have lives where they are home a lot during the week?

So WFH or SAHP and kids are home at 3.30/4pm?

The reason I guess this is my life is the opposite! Up at 4 and out the house at 4.30am (Ds is a swimmer)
Home at 7.30 out again at 8 for work.
Home just after 4 and out again at 4.30 until 7/8pm for more training. 4/5 working days.

Out early sat am for swim training and home just after 10.

Then usually 1 weekend a month we are somewhere competing.

So I absolutely love staying at home from then on until Monday morning! For me being home is a novelty! But there are people who don't understand ds and I wanting to be at home and those are often people who are home for more than 3 hours a day awake during the week!

Do you think you're better than them because you are more balanced?

Not everyone does like their home or has a garden. Some people have active DC in flats - I think the neighbours are very thankful I take the DC out most days!

I'm guessing it's people who have lives where they are home a lot during the week?

I think it's this too. I am out every day for work early and often dont get back until quite late. By the time the weekend comes I want to enjoy being at home as I've had so little of it during the week! therefore, home represents being off duty to me and I can relax.

If I worked from home I suspect that distinction might be different and I'd probably relish going out more.

My eldest sister is an out and about type, I'm a homebody.

She's very sporty and gets the most enjoyment out of doing something active. She finds my hobbies of reading, crafts and playing videogames absolutely baffling. She literally cannot imagine sitting still in the house just reading a book or playing a game for a few hours. She'd turn herself inside out. She sees hanging about at home as wasting time, I see it as spending it how I like.

My daughter is more like her too. She has her horse and when she's not in school, studying or eating she's out at the yard mucking about with the other girls there, or riding, or walking the dogs, or swimming. She'd be very antsy and unhappy if she had to spend more than one day indoors. Whereas I'm pretty sure I could batten down the hatches and not leave the house for months if pressed.

Everyone is different, everyone sees how time is spent differently. Many people would think I'm lazy and frittering away my precious hours - I don't agree with them and that's fine. They can powerwalk off into the sunset and leave me to it!

When I had very young DC I felt really claustrophobic to stay in all day and needed to go out every day.
It's very unusual for me not to go out in a day but it doesn't bother me as much now that I have teens who can amuse/entertain themselves.

I have more of an issue with people who seem to think it's morally superior to get up really early!

Not really. I'm definitely introverted, but WFH through the week. My weekends are usually mostly spent outside the house. Not necessarily with people though. I love being half way up a hill on my own

Exactly. Small claustrophobic housing , not wanting to make food or be asked what is for lunch/ dinner by adult children. Even though I say make your own, I feel guilty so being out avoids the whole thing .

If you WFH all week you're not part of the 'up and out brigade' the OP is asking about.

She's asking about people who can't bear to be in their own home at all. Who need to be out all day, every day and view anything that happens within their home as a waste of life.

This made me laugh. I’m very happy with a quiet weekend with the kids- nice food, board game, film, hanging out in the garden etc. But I have relatives who feel they need an activity in the morning and afternoon or they will combust. I find it exhausting!