From picnics and gardening to handwritten letters and family game nights, Generation Z is rediscovering the simple pleasures of a slower life. The irony? Generation X has been quietly enjoying them all along.
Every generation likes to believe it’s discovered something new. And more often than not, the generations that came before them have a good laugh at the whole “what’s old is new again” scene that the youngsters are suddenly all excited about.
Just spend five minutes on TikTok and you’ll find young influencers proudly embracing “retro” trends, whether that’s baggy jeans, vinyl records, disposable cameras, or handwritten journals. For Generation Z, these habits feel refreshingly different in an increasingly digital world.
For Generation X, however, the reaction is usually somewhere between amusement and quiet satisfaction.
You mean… having picnics? We never really stopped.
Many of the lifestyle trends now enjoying a renaissance aren’t really making a comeback at all. They’re timeless activities that simply slipped out of the spotlight while smartphones, streaming services, and social media dominated our lives for the last decade or so. Now, younger people are discovering what their parents and grandparents always knew: sometimes the old ways really are the best ways.
PICNICS ARE COOL AGAIN
Who knew sitting on a blanket in a park would become fashionable?
Picnics enjoyed a huge revival during the Covid-19 pandemic when outdoor gatherings became one of the safest ways to socialize. Even after restrictions disappeared, the trend stuck around, helped along by rising restaurant prices and a growing appreciation for simple pleasures.
For Gen X, this is hardly revolutionary. Summer weekends often meant sandwiches packed into a cooler, a Frisbee, and an afternoon under a shady tree. No reservations required.
Sometimes the best dining room has always been outdoors.
GARDENING IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL
During World War II, “Victory Gardens” helped families supplement food supplies. Decades later, home vegetable patches and flower beds remained common fixtures in suburban backyards.
Today’s young gardeners are motivated less by necessity and more by wellbeing.
After spending entire workdays indoors, tending herbs, vegetables, or houseplants offers fresh air, gentle exercise, and a welcome mental reset. Numerous studies have linked gardening with lower stress levels and improved mental health, making it as therapeutic as it is productive.
HANDWRITTEN NOTES STILL MEAN MORE
Text messages are fast. Emails are convenient. But really, neither feels quite as special as opening an envelope containing a handwritten letter.
In an era where most conversations disappear into endless messaging threads, writing a personal note requires intention, effort, and a bit of time. Someone chose the stationery, found a stamp, and took the time to say something worth keeping.
Many Gen Xers still have boxes filled with old birthday cards, postcards, and letters from friends. Few people are likely to treasure screenshots of WhatsApp conversations 30 years from now. What can we say? Some traditions really are worth preserving in ink.
DIY NEVER REALLY WENT AWAY
Knitting. Sewing. Pottery. Woodworking. Glass blowing. You know… do-it-yourself crafting. Once dismissed as hobbies for retirees, handmade crafts have found an enthusiastic new audience thanks to YouTube tutorials, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok creators who make learning almost any skill remarkably accessible.
Beyond producing something unique, crafting offers a welcome escape from endless screen time while often saving money along the way.
Long before influencers filmed “craft room tours,” Gen X was already building shelves, restoring furniture, and fixing things instead of replacing them.
REAL BOOKS ARE HAVING A MOMENT (AGAIN)
The rise of e-books once prompted predictions that printed books would become obsolete. Instead, physical books are thriving again, helped in no small part by the wildly popular #BookTok community, which has inspired millions of young readers to buy, collect, and proudly display their growing libraries.
For Gen X, bookshelves were always part of the furniture.
There is still something deeply satisfying about turning real pages, scribbling notes in the margins, and lending a favorite novel to a friend, even if the cover comes back a little worse for wear. We figure it’s just a matter of time before real magazines and newspapers find their way back to modern life, as well!
GAME NIGHT IS BACK ON THE TABLE
Board games never really disappeared; they simply had to compete with smartphones and gaming consoles.
Now, younger adults are rediscovering the joy of gathering around a table for an evening of laughter, friendly rivalry, and the occasional disagreement over Monopoly rules and what words count in Scrabble. Jigsaw puzzles are seeing a quiet renaissance, too. Meanwhile, others are blending old and new by playing multiplayer games on mobile devices while sitting together in the same room.
The technology may have evolved, but the real attraction hasn’t changed. It’s still about spending time together.
DIGITAL CAMERAS ARE RETRO… SOMEHOW
Nothing makes Gen X feel older than hearing a compact digital camera described as “vintage.” After all, digital cameras had their heyday well after Gen Xers had moved into adulthoood. But their dominance was short-lived as smartphone cameras got better and better in the last 10 to 12 years.
Now though, younger photographers are increasingly seeking out early digital cameras, disposable cameras, and instant film for their distinctive imperfections. Grainy images, unpredictable lighting, and lower resolutions have become part of the aesthetic, offering an authentic alternative to today’s heavily filtered, algorithm-perfected smartphone photos.
It’s a reminder that sometimes flaws create character.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS NEVER LOST ITS APPEAL
Growing up before smartphones usually meant spending entire days outdoors with friends until somebody’s parent called everyone home for dinner or the streetlamps came on.
Today’s young adults are rediscovering hiking, camping, walking trails, and afternoons spent simply disconnecting from technology. Greater awareness of climate change has also encouraged many to appreciate the natural world rather than merely viewing it through a screen.
Fresh air, it turns out, has never gone out of style.
COOKING FROM SCRATCH IS COOL AGAIN
Cooking has become one of social media’s biggest success stories, though it hasn’t made as big a splash in Malaysia, where food is plentiful, cheap, and – at least in big cities – available at all hours.
In many places, though, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are filled with creators baking sourdough, making fresh pasta, fermenting vegetables, and recreating family recipes handed down through generations. Many younger people are embracing scratch cooking not only because it’s healthier, but because it’s often cheaper and surprisingly enjoyable.
Gen X watches these beautifully edited cooking videos with a knowing smile. For this generation, it was simply called “making dinner.”
Perhaps that’s the biggest lesson in all of this.
Generation Z deserves credit for embracing slower, more mindful ways of living. But while these habits may feel refreshingly new to younger adults, they represent something older generations quietly understood all along.
Not everything has to be faster. Not everything needs an app. And some of life’s greatest pleasures never really went out of fashion—they just waited patiently for the rest of us to notice again.
Sources: YourTango, Royal Horticultural Society, American Psychological Association, Pew Research Center, various BookTok trend reporting.
