2020 has been a year. I’m sure many of you have a lot more choice words to say about 2020 but we will just keep it at that for now. It for sure has been a year that none of us will never forget.
I’ve been spending some time in therapy these last few years (yes I said it THERAPY, its great by the way you definitely should try it) learning a lot about how to look on the bright side of things and not always dwell on the bad, which is a terrible habit of mine. So I thought I would share with you all my take away of what 2020 has taught me about myself this year and what I enjoyed about it.
I know the little time I’ve seen my special-needs tribe this year (which sucks! But I am not going to dwell on that!) so many have told me they are struggling finding any good in this year. Now this is not for me to say “hey look at me I found all this good in this year”. It’s simply to say, step back, readjust your view and possibly you can find some similar things things too.
I reconnected with my kids.
We are all constantly busy throughout the year. Not to say during the quarantine I found myself any less busy, but we were together so much more that I found myself reconnecting with my kids in a way I that I really missed. Before COVID, we were constantly in between appointments and school drop offs that I felt like we were never going to slow down. I KNOW you all feel me. Once the therapy appointments stopped and we were homeschooling, I felt like I got to take time to really learn so much more about what my kids were thinking, feeling and experiencing. We find ourselves taking more time to go rollerblading, jump on the trampoline together and do crafts and fun activities together. This is something that once things get back to a “normal” state I really want to try to continue.
I learned to slow down.
Do you ever feel like you are going a million miles an hour? Wait, I forgot who my audience is....of course you do. With being literally stuck at home this year I had to learn that I couldn’t be going all the time anymore and had to learn how to slow down. I have a problem with learning how to relax. Even when given the time to sit and do nothing my brain has a hard time shutting down. This year did help me so much with growing that side of me and for that I will always be thankful. I also did try to learn to slow down and listen to what my body needed from me and take some “me” time. However, With everyone being home this year, “me” time became harder, but I learned how to adjust.
Go out of your way to show kindness
We have all had a rough time this year, some of us have lost loved ones through this pandemic. We’ve been away from our friends and families more than we ever have in our lives possibly. I’ve learned that we need to be kind to one another, and it shouldn’t stop after all this is done. Check in on your neighbors, call your friend who you may have lost touch with, you never know how someone is feeling. The Tiniest bit of kindest that you show to someone can make the biggest difference in their day. You don’t have to start meals trains for every friend or do anything out of this world. They may have been having the worst week ever and just seeing your smile or hearing your voice may change that for them.
Mental Health is Important
As we all struggle through whatever 2020 has thrown our way, we need to all realize that mental health struggles are real. This year is something that none of us imagined and nothing that we could have prepared for. You are doing things as a parent, spouse, caregiver, and person that you never thought you would have to be doing. If you find yourself needing someone to talk to, call a friend or find a professional to help you. We need to take care of ourselves, however that looks for you. Whether that is going to therapy, finding some self-care, or taking some time to have a zoom call with your friends and loved ones. Reaching out for help is brave.
As 2020 comes to an end, stop and take a second to think about what it has taught you as a parent, a friend, or as an individual. I know we all hope that once that calendar turns over that 2021 will be a better, brighter year but 2020 has definitely taught us all a lot about ourselves that we should carry over into the coming years.