SWEETIESAL

We were curious about the King of Tigers, mentally travelled to Paris with Emily, tried to make sense of nonsense, stayed home, baked banana bread, made candles and resin creations and most importantly got through 2020.

The New Year hasn't miraculously waved a magic wand to make the pandemic go away and I can envisage a few more weeks and months of a rather quiet life before life can return to (the new) normal.

I always reflect on the previous year in the first few days of January and this year is no different, however I am trying to concentrate on the things I learned about life and myself in 2020 rather than dwell on the things we all 'missed' out on.

It's ok to have enjoyed some down time and routines being simpler, no commute, fresh air, catching up on all those shows you really wanted to watch but never had time. It's also ok to have felt trapped and without purpose and scared for what might or might not happen. 

Personal circumstances of course made 2020 a very different experience between people/households/families and my experience I realise is one of privilege. I am a single household, have continued to work and whilst I would in theory be classed as clinically vulnerable, I have not experienced a 'dip' or pause of healthcare. 

I am incredibly grateful for essentially being able to carry on with a degree of normality.

I absolutely appreciate that my circumstances are not the reality for many and this post is to talk through the things that I started in 2020 (probably out of boredom) and want to continue into 2021. 

Or write or zoom! I really enjoyed writing in my one line a day 5 year memory book as I figured we were living through a historical event so I would enjoy reading the brief entries over the next few years. 

I also feel more connected than ever to friends and family and whilst I was glad to see the back of zoom quizzes I do think that it's been nice to have the time to catch up, check in and keep in touch. Life almost always gets in the way so I have enjoyed feeling closer to people despite being apart.

I have also appreciated that technology has made spending the vast majority of time alone not feel lonely with using Skype and Microsoft Teams for work. I was still able to feel connected to colleagues and whilst we aren't having the chance to chat whilst making a brew we can still schedule time to talk socially. I started a new job in January 2020 and only spent 9 weeks in the office before having to work from home ever since so it has been invaluable to be able to build relationships with my colleagues.

Physically writing is a love of mine - I am a pen and paper kind of gal so I really enjoyed getting some cute note cards and sending out some snail mail! I think a nice card to tell someone you are thinking of them is a nice thing to receive so I will definitely be continuing with this in 2021 and beyond. Simple pleasures and all that!

I mean, I've hardly been tarted up much BUT getting up and dressed has really helped me retain some sort of routine to differentiate between 'work' and 'leisure'. It is so easy to think well I am not going anywhere so why get dressed? I have found that getting up and dressed, especially for work has meant that I am ready for whatever the day throws at me, urgent catch up with the big boss, having to pop out, catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and feeling 'normal'. There are a few days where staying in PJs is a must (Boxing Day and New Year's Day) but apart from that I am firmly in the getting dressed gang!

Getting dressed means getting my face on too.. I thought I was being really vain at first because I really didn't like seeing myself on video calls with no makeup on (the odd time it would happen) BUT I do it for myself to feel put together and I really enjoy putting makeup on so I am going to slap some makeup on even if I have no meetings in the diary!

I don't know why I read this heading in an Australian accent but here we are. Having more time has meant I have looked for different things to keep the boredom at bay. I have always loved being creative and 2020 gave me the opportunity to try lots of things from nail art to calligraphy, pro-create and pom pom crafts! If creativity is not really your thing but organisation is, then might I suggest The Home Edit on Netflix - there is also their book and Instagram if you don't have Netflix but want to be inspired to get your home organisation on point...

Healthy body, healthy mind and all that. During the first lockdown I signed up to Hello Fresh to try and force myself to cook more fresh food and eat better. There are so many options out there, Goustobox, Mindful Chef to name a few. I really liked the idea of having some nice fresh ingredients delivered so that I actually cooked for myself and wasn't lazy. I stopped my subscription once things opened up a bit more but I am thinking I will dig out my recipe cards and consider subscribing again as I did really enjoy whipping something up from scratch and having some variety in my diet.

This was a big fat fail last year. I had all the positive intentions and did get out and about a bit, which in fairness was easier when the sun was shining but once the nights drew in and it became cold and rainy for what seemed like forever, I fell off this wagon.

I joined my local Gym and was going to get into the habit of going.. having to quarantine after going on holiday and then the 2nd lockdown put a stop to those plans and now we are in lockdown 3 I really need to try and be more active. I think it will help me sleep better and stretching and moving more will hopefully mean I don't ache as much sitting at my desk all day! 

If you have some Christmas money burning a hole in your pocket then I can highly recommend the Apple Watch. Apple have now also bought out Fitness + which is an on demand fitness class subscription service which integrates with the watch so you can see your performance on screen. I have definitely found it makes me more active when wearing mine and encourages you to reduce a sedentary lifestyle.You can get quite obsessed with closing your rings.. which is only a good thing!

What were the best things to come out of 2020 for you? Mine is my optimism and resilience. 2020 was hard but we are here in 2021 and we will get through this.