What Did I Learn in 2020
The year 2020 is about to end, and we all were eagerly waiting for it to end. This year is nothing but filled with tragic moments, discrimination, and pandemic. We all have realized somewhere that system in which we live is not sustainable and can therefore collapse anytime. This article isn’t about what went wrong this year but it’s about what we have learned this year.
- Healthy Relationship with self:
This year has thrown us back into our room and asked us to spend more time with ourselves. It took time for a lot of us to build a relationship with ourselves. How many times we have tried to run away from ourselves with an excuse of random errands, meet-ups, and work, but pandemic gave us a lot of space to be with ourselves. It’s very difficult yet important to have a healthy relationship. There was a saying which I read long back which is “the only person who is going to be with you is you, so start nourishing yourself today”. When everything around me was forced to slow down, it forced me to become a better version of myself.
2. Hobbies:
There many things which we like but when we reach our room, what do we look for? We look for anything which doesn’t demand the presence of other beings and only helps us to unwind the long day. The ones who didn’t have a hobby because they were too scared to do anything, are now doing things which they love which could be as simple as cooking, learning guitar, etc due to plenty of time. Hobbies not only keep us going but they also refresh our mind for new ideas & perspective. We should keep looking for days where we spend time with ourselves more often, as it helps to rediscover a lot of things about ourselves.
3. Cooking is therapeutic:
As we look back in March and April, we could see people going viral over Dalgona Coffee, baking classes, and many more. I personally don’t enjoy cooking but in times like pandemic I did take a step towards cooking, and it’s a pleasant journey. Have we ever wondered why all of us took a turn towards the kitchen? There have been studies across this and there is one in Health Education and Behaviour which has found some interesting links. It says cooking seemed to increase self-esteem and improves the well being one person. It has also seen that it helps to decrease anxiety and agitation in a variety of individuals. We human beings feel accomplished when we create something. We found ourselves so immersed in the task of cooking that we forget all our worries, and what if’s.
4. Never take anything for granted:
We all faced collective loss this year, and all of us were mourning at the same time across the globe. This generation for the first time has witnessed something where they had to lose human interaction which is the fundamentals of our lives. For once, we all thought the world has stopped, and we had no idea when we will get to see our loved ones. We all have collectively lived in uncertainty and it wasn’t a pleasant journey for any of us. We never thought we need to wait for so long to have one cup of chai ( Tea) with our friend. All these remind only one thing don’t take anything for granted and enjoy it while it lasts. Let’s appreciate what we have because as SRK says “kal ho ya na ho”.
2020 is a roller coaster ride, and many times we need to help ourselves to come out of the shell, and to do the daily to-do list. In times of darkness, it becomes very easy to get lost in pessimistic thoughts and allow them to drain us. This is when it becomes important to have faith, important to hold on to ‘hope’; because this is what keeps us going. But once we start focusing on what we have, then the journey becomes a little easier than predicted.
Please add your learnings in the comment section below.
