Let us be the first to say it – 2021 hasn’t quite started out the way we had hoped. For us, a new year also signifies a fresh start and an opportunity to focus on new things – and it feels rather like all that was taken away from us this year. The fact is, there is a lot happening which is out of our control right now, and the best thing we can do is learn to combat the stress we feel rather than try and avoid it altogether.
A New Goal For 2021: To Stress LESS.
Here are some of the ways that you can reduce the impact of stress on your lives as we all move towards Spring and a more positive time of year.
- Continue keeping track of all the things that make us happy. In 2020, more than one of us kept a diary of all the good things we did every week, looking back on the positive things whenever the team felt low. For us, these were simple things like taking a walk and spending time with family, and it really helped to keep the team grounded and focussed on the good things.
- Continue to practice deep breathing – especially outside, surrounded by nature.
- Face the things you’ve been putting off and really commit to ‘eating the frog’ (an old saying that always makes us laugh!) What ‘frog’ has been hanging over you, and will you join us in getting it done this year?
- Make a list! Everyone loves a good list – especially the sense of achievement you get when you can tick everything off. Get yourself a nice pen and a fresh notebook, break your life down into digestible chunks and make a list of everything you want to achieve. You’d be amazed at how much simpler things seem when you write them down.
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Go easy
And, if we could give you just one bit of advice? Please go easy on yourself. Lower your expectations of what you should be doing and achieving during this time. We’ve read comments such as “all we’re being asked to do is stay home it’s not that difficult” but you know for some of us it is. We should all judge a little less, and show kindness and compassion. Because it is difficult to be cut off from our support network. It is difficult to not be able to hug or see our extended family. It’s difficult to be homeschooling. It’s difficult to be working and living at home 24/7. It is difficult to have to go out to work and put ourselves at risk. It is difficult to not be able to enjoy all the things we took for granted.
image:istock.com/fizkes
