Congratulations guys – in just a few weeks we’ll all have officially survived one of the worst years in history. I may be hobbling over the 2020 finish line battered and bruised, but I’m alive. Weirdly, despite the insane challenges this year has brought me, there have also been a few healthy habits I’ve adopted while living through quarantine and a global pandemic. Looking ahead to 2021, while there’s no doubt that the first quarter of the year is still going to be 2020-ish, optimistically I’m hoping that by the summertime we’re returning to if not completely normal, at least a more normal version of life. However, my resolution is to continue some of the habits I’ve taken on while adjusting to a more slowed down version of life, because in hindsight some of quarantine was good for me (at least post-March, admittedly I did spend the whole first month of this insane year drinking a bottle of wine a night to calm my “omg are we all going to die” daily panic attack).
Here are some things I started doing in 2020 to help me cope that I hope to continue into 2021:
- Stick to the same bedtime each night. With less to do, my sleep schedule got totally on track which has been a huge game changer. I hope to continue this even once I can go to happy hours again.
- Work out at home. Even if it’s just a 20 minute quick workout, getting anything in helped, and while I used to think that I had to be in an actual studio and class to get a good workout, I now know that even if I have only 30 minutes to spare and can’t make a class I can still get a workout in.
- Take long walks. Walking my dog and listening to podcasts was essentially the only activity that felt safe to do during the height of the pandemic, and it’s now my favorite thing to do (plus, my newfound love of walking definitely helped me not gain the quarantine 15).
- Read at least 1 book per week. I’ve always been a big reader, but pre-quarantine how much I read would ebb and flow based on how busy I was. I’ve read so many amazing books this year and I hope to continue making that a priority even when I have other options once the world is back open.
- Prioritize my mental health. During the pandemic, the first month was really scary for us all, and my mental health took a significant hit to the point that I was afraid of how bad my anxiety had gotten. For the first time in a longtime, I truly put my mental health absolutely first ahead of every single responsibility. I realized that stepping away from my computer, turning the chaotic news off and taking time for myself to unwind ended up making me better prepared to face the challenges head on.
