We Survived 2020!
Let’s be honest… it’s been a year! And as we head into the last day of 2020, we survived! Some people had the hardest year of their life, some experienced more stress and anxiety then ever before, and some celebrated more wins then they ever could have predicted. We pivoted, we rolled with the changes, and we did the damn best we could. Frontline workers made endless sacrifices to keep the world safe. Parent’s became teachers and did their best to navigate distant learning. The world became more digital than ever and suddenly zoom just wasn’t a place for business meetings to occur, but for a place to have happy hour, holiday dinners and gift exchanges with loved ones. We hoarded toilet paper, bought all the canned goods from the grocery stores, and masks became the hottest accessory of the year.
All humor aside, it’s been a damn tough year. We watched the country shut down and saw strangers come together in a beautiful display of human kindness. We shopped for our elders, we celebrated milestones with car parades, and we looked out for our neighbors. We also saw some of the most ugliest times our county has seen. That same human kindness went out the window and we hated anyone that didn’t look like us, vote like us, or believe the same things as us. We fought over science and government conspiracies. We trusted no one and we began living in fear. So much has happened in 2020.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we all deal with things differently. We all have different tolerance levels for stress and uncertainty. We all cope differently. Some people were gravely affected at the beginning of the pandemic, while others, like me, took months later to feel the full emotional toll it was taking. Small brick and mortar businesses struggled while those in the gig economy thrived. For many, we saw that having non traditional, as well as multiple streams of income was not only smart, but necessary.
The end of a year/ start of a new year is often a time to reflect. To set new goals. To get excited. A fresh page, a fresh start, a new year. A time to reinvent yourself. A time to dream big. Grab your vision boards, new planners, and pens and paint the picture for what the next year looks like. If this is you, I am so darn proud of you! It’s usually me. However, this year is different. No matter how much excitement a “new” year brings, the reality is, life as we know it is not going to change when the clock strikes midnight. The pandemic will still be here. The stress, and anxiety, will still be here. The financial uncertainty, the social loneliness, the distance we feel from others will still be here.
I don’t share this to be debbie downer, but rather, to remind you that if you are feeling like me, you are not alone. If you are not feeling the same excitement, hopes, and dreams of 2021, you are not alone. Don’t get caught up in how you should be feeling… how we should be preparing for a new year. Don’t beat yourself up for not being as joyous as your girlfriends. Don’t allow the comparison of how others appear to be planning for the year ahead on social media to make you feel any less.
We all cope differently. We all handle stress, anxiety, and uncertainty differently. While I still encourage you to dream big, it’s ok if you can’t see it on December 31… or January 1st. The reality is, the new year is just a psychological opportunity for change. You can make the same vision board on March 7 as you do January 1. You can dream big, decorate your planner, and set goals any day of the year. If you can’t do it today, tomorrow, or Saturday… it is ok.
I survived 2020…. on apple cider vinegar, elderberry gummies, wine, toilet paper, and take out…. but I survived 2020. And you did too. You survived 2020. As my best friends aunt would say, we never have to do this year again. So chin up, it will get better. Maybe not in time to ring in 2021, but it will get better. Celebrate your wins. They are there, I promise. And no matter what, know that you are not alone.
Happy New Year <3