I've long understood that taking photographs regularly is a key way I manage stress. Looking closely at what is around me, and searching for interesting images, is essentially a mindfulness meditation.
The coronavirus pandemic has meant that all the usual routines have been disrupted, and all my usual sources of company and support are not available in the usual ways. That coffee and chat with a colleague, the evening pint with a friend and Sunday lunch with the family have all been postponed. I have continued to take photographs on a daily basis - around the house and garden, and out on my daily exercise walks or visits to the supermarket.
These have been a great way to really notice things - from the patterns created when stirring a pot of woodstain, the details of dandelions near the path and the shadows of the railings by our local shopping centre. All things that I might have walked past if I had been distracted rather than focussed on looking for an interesting image.
Ansel Adams, the master of black and white landscape photography said "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it". Really learning to see has made far more difference to my photography than any new camera or piece of equipment, or any complicated technique.