5 THINGS TO TAKE WITH YOU TO 2021
I am a sucker for New Years “resolutions” and new starts. This might be the reason behind my slight obsession towards moving between countries and finding new things to work on (one good example being this blog). I find it extremely refreshing to sit myself down and to reflect on the past and dream about the future.
1. CREATE A DAILY ROUTINE
I cannot stress it enough how much a set daily routine can help, especially if you are like me who is living in a country where the restrictions do not necessarily allow for you to do what you ‘normally’ would do.
This does not mean things like “get up at 5am for a run, 5:30am shower, get everything done before the sun gets up”. These can be things that you look forward to doing, things to break old habits or just tiny tasks that make you feel ready for the day. And most importantly, things that do not cause you stress. The whole point of adding this kind of structure to your life is to make you feel more in control and accomplished.
For example, I want to get changed before I go downstairs to make my morning coffee. This will make me feel more awake, refreshed and less likely to go back to bed. Or if you want to break an old habit; instead of checking your phone as the first thing in the morning, wait for 30 minutes before you check your phone and instead create a habit of drinking a big glass of water before you even think about if anyone has missed you while you were asleep.
Although it may feel like a tiny detail, it can be the first thing you accomplish in a day and get you more prepared for the day.
This can also include setting dedicated work and rest times. I wish I had done this earlier, but what I am aiming to do this spring when writing my dissertation from home, I will have at least two 1 hour slots in a day dedicated to getting any work done and another 2 hour slot to rest and take a shower, read, do a face mask or workout. This will prevent an ongoing cycle of stress and feeling like you haven’t done what you needed to get done.
The key is to start small and build up from there.
2. STAY IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE
At the start of April, I developed a way to cope with the pandemic that caused me to feel the calmest and most ‘zen’ I’ve felt in years. I decided to distant myself from the world, focus on my family, focus on what was right in front of me, and although that was very successful for a short period time, in the long run it made me distant myself from the world and my friends. I simply stopped facing the reality and avoided talking to my friends for one reason only – because I did not want the topic of pandemic to come up. I avoided even going to the shops to buy food because I did not want to wear my mask. I avoided any activity that made me confront what was going on in the world and it made me a very passive participant in my own life.
So this year, I promise myself to make an effort to stay in touch with my family and friends, to talk about the things happening and to check up on others who are maybe struggling with their own problems. This is a bit more serious point than the previous one, but really, no one is alone in this and although it can be hard at times, we should not try to avoid the reality of it. Rather, we should try and find ways to process it, to allow ourselves to understand what is going on and to support each other.
3. MAKE PLANS
I know, this is a difficult one. Simply because there is nothing to plan. And isn’t that what 2020 showed us – things do not always go according to plans, we should let go of expectations and that is okay. But that shouldn’t stop us from having something to look forward to.
Dare to think about the future, even if it’s not concrete plans for your own life, think about things that could one day happen (especially positive ones). It is easy to lose hope of a different world and to be defeated by the constant change and uncertainty around absolutely everything, but to develop a habit of thinking big and what good can come out of this is very inspiring and has often gotten my butt off the couch.
4. MOVE YOUR BODY
I know. This is the most cliche New Years resolution and ‘fresh start’ sentence out there, but just give it a chance. Again, the key is to start small.
This does not mean heavy lifting and intense workouts, instead it means intentionally making an effort to move your body in anyway you like during your day. This can be going on a lunch time walk around the block, going on a run, going to get a coffee, doing a Youtube home workout or a yoga session. Pro tip: dance parties in your bedroom/living-room/bathroom also count!
This is a big part of the daily routine as well. By giving your body and mind some well-deserved time off to focus on physically doing something not only takes your mind off of whatever you were sat inside doing, but also communicates to your body that you are taking care of it. And it can truly be something you enjoy.
I’m not a great dancer, but I love doing Youtube dance workouts in my living room and that has been the one thing that has become a big part of my daily routine and has given me some consistency and something that is 100% in my control. No one can take that away from you regardless of your local restrictions.
And finally…
5. WRITE STUFF DOWN
I understand this is not for everyone, but please just give it a chance.
I do not mean turning your life into a beautifully written essay or a perfectly crafted journal. I mean, get an empty notebook and just write whatever you are thinking, experiencing, feeling or even seeing – you can literally write about anything. This can really help to make sense out of the mess of a world that we live in and really let you keep a track of your life. And if or when you have a bad day, you can go back and read through a day when things were going well, you can see how far you’ve come and really gain perspective on the world and your thoughts.
I started blogging when I was 13 (I think) as well as keeping a private journal, where I literally write to my future self what have I been up to lately and where I am in life. It has been an amazing way to capture the things I appreciate in life and to remind myself of how many little things I tend to forget about.
It does not even have to be writing sentences, it can even be bullet points, drawings – whatever you can think of. In one point I even recorded a voice recording on my phone of me just speaking about what I did that day.
I have not always been as consistent with my writing as I would like to be. But this year as I’ve grown to see how good it has been for me, I aim to write to myself at least once a week and post on this blog once every 2 weeks (for now).
There you go! It’s quite a lot of stuff there, but really I would suggest even trying out one of them and see how it can truly make a difference in your daily life.
Once again, if you made it this far, thank you very much for reading. And regardless of if you agreed with or found any of these helpful I hope you have a great year and good luck with whatever comes your way!
One Comment
Alexander Parkinson
You’ve done a great job, well done!