2020 – will always be remembered as a hell-ish year! This year has changed our lives so much especially the countries that are still grappling with widespread of Corona (India, USA, Brazil). But it has been an eye opener of an year for most of us. We’ve learnt a lot (including skills) and hopefully, grown as people. 2020 has been a crazy year for me – from quitting my job early this year to change my career path to giving up on my plans to travel for a few months to moving cities mid-pandemic to moving back home with my folks while I figure my life out. When 2020 started, I truly believed it was going to be the best year of my life but well life had other plans.
Here are 5 things I learnt in 2020 that weren’t all bad (no, how to bake near perfect banana bread didn’t make this list):
I CAN DO ANYTHING!
For most part of May I was freaked out and anxious because India was still in lockdown phase, my house lease was expiring end of May, the pandemic was spreading and somehow I had to move cities. The lockdown meant –
- No flights and I wasn’t keen to do the 22 hours drive between the two cities
- No transport services to ship my stuff
- No movers and packers to help pack my stuff (it was a lot: 250 kgs of stuff minus furniture) since the apartment society I lived in wasn’t allowing people from outside to enter the premises
- Difficult to sell all my furniture and appliances (there was a lot) since no movement was allowed within the city
I somehow arranged some boxes from a neighbour and then slowly over the month of May packed off all of my stuff – still wondering how I’ll make the move. In the second half of May, the Indian government announced they were restarting commercial flights/trains from end of May and that was all the hope I needed. I somehow got all my luggage shipped to Delhi, 2 days before my flight Since I couldn’t find a way to sell my furniture – I gave it to the apartment society staff and house help. Got on a flight (which was insanely scary) – got home, quarantined for 14 days and was okay! If this drama wasn’t enough, the landlord of the flat didn’t return a big chunk of the security deposit for the flat. He was hoping to bully my flatmate and I, into letting go off that money. But we fought him, got legal help and made sure he returned our money even though our families kept telling us to just give up. So the first thing this year taught me is that I CAN DO ANYTHING and I should believe in myself always.
Its okay to take a break.
Breaks have been frowned upon by people who assume its for the lazy. Even career breaks are considered foolish. I finally convinced myself to take half this year off to go travel. A lot of my friends and family thought it was a bad idea to take a career break especially since I was earning decently well. But I knew I needed the break since I had already reached my breakdown point with my then job. The travelling didn’t happen but I did take May-June off to relocate, settle down and just take a breather. It was such a welcome break after all the stress I had accumulated from my old job (read as boss). Which brings me to my next lesson.
Sometimes walking away from things that aren’t working out is the best thing you can do for yourself.
How many times have you stuck around in a relationship that has already gone sour? How many times have you stuck to a job/career path despite knowing it is making you unhappy? How many times have you clung onto a friendship despite knowing it is toxic for you? I know it is difficult to walk away from certain situations but if it’s costing you your mental peace, gather your guts and leave. I walked away from a couple of things this year including a horrible job and trust me these decisions have freed me up. (I know not everyone can just leave a job – but instead of sticking around try to look for a job with a better environment or different work. even if it means taking a pay cut.)
It isn’t pertinent to post about everything on social media.
I have been an IG addict for years. My relationship with the GRAM started off because of my love for photography. I finally found a platform to showcase the many 100s of photographs I’d take on an almost daily basis. But over the years it progressed to obsession – with me posting about my travel, food, daily woes etc. It also spiked my anxiety, jealousy and consumerism. I finally got off IG for three weeks this year and it was truly life changing. I no longer find the need to post everything on IG and just enjoy it as a medium to pass time. Whenever it starts to get to me again – I will definitely get off it again.
Hope is everything!
This year has been bleak for most of us. It has given rise to a lot of mental health issues. Being confined to our homes, not meeting people – has made most of us desolate! But no matter how bad things get, one should never give up hope. Hope that what is coming next will be better than. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today. Hope that life might be down right now but an up isn’t too far away. Hope that if we give our best we can definitely make our future brighter than our past. Never give up hope! ❤
Let me know below what this year taught you! ❤
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That I like writing poetry has been my biggest surprise.
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That’s amazing – a lot of people have identified hidden talents. Loved your last post! Will definitely be reading all the poems you post on here. ☺️
Take care!
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Love the optimism here. This year has definitely taught me to try and look on the bright side. I hated being out of work, but I LOVED the time it afforded me to spend with my family. ❤️🐝
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Thank you so much! ♥️
Same. I’ve not always been so positive. This year taught me it’s important to make the best of a bad situation and be thankful for what I have.
Hopefully we’ll hold on to this optimism even after this has all improved. ☺️☺️
Take care!
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You, too. And thank you! ❤️
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Wow loving the lessons you have learnt! Overall this post was booming with positive vibes!!♥️♥️🌠
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Thank you so much! ♥️
I derive a lot of positivity from this blogging community including you! ☺️
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Aww your welcome! Your such a sweet soul!♥️♥️
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Love the optimism in this post! I am someone that finds it hard to walk away from things, so I think that is really important and I am glad you mentioned it 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much! ♥️
I was the same – I’d stick to something even when it was clear it wasn’t good to me. But I’ve finally learnt to put me first. ☺️
Take care!
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Moksha, this is simply one of best posts I’ve read today! Your were words were highly relatable and took me back to the time when I’d to let go of something and take a break to restore my mental peace! Also, one thing that 2020 has taught me is that we’re all in this mess together and like they say, it gets worse before it gets better!
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Thank you so so much! Reading your comment made my day. ♥️
Yes, we’re all in this together and I think everyone came together to find ways to make it bearable. From social media challenges to dalgona coffee to supporting each other’s mental health and other ways to make this all bearable.
I can’t wait for it to get better! I just hope I get to go to a park and enjoy the winter sun in December/January.
Thank you for being so kind! ♥️
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Always my pleasure! And yes, during this lockdown we’re able to see the best and worst side of humanity!
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I love this post, full of optimism and life. I learnt a lot this year about love, life and laughs. I feel I’ve grown so much this year thanks for sharing x
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Thank you so much! ♥️
This year has been filled with so much learning for all of us. Hope the rest of the year is amazing for you. ☺️
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I love how you said it’s okay to take a break. I forget to do that sometimes and it’s very tiring. We often associate that with being lazy but it’s necessary for our minds and bodies! I love this post!!
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Truly, taking a break and getting back at it with even more vigour is the way to go.
Thank you so much! ☺️
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That’s really amazing ✌
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Thank you so much! ♥️
Hope the year is going well for you! ☺️
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Wow, you definitely have had a challenging year so far, but I hope you’ve seen how strong you are from dealing with it all! Hopefully 2021 is the amazing year we all thought 2020 would be 🙂
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Thank you so much! It’s been a crazy year. Yesss, hope 2021 is way better for all of us! ☺️
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That’s nice to hear, I had a similar situation on Pinterest, I started pinning for the love Love Quotes, then it metamorphosized into business, and obsession hit with pangs of jealously and competition—but then I realized, it wasn’t me. I took a step back and now it’s just fun again and life is better! It’s fascinating how social media sucks us in emotionally as a validation of who we are.
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Social media has its pros and cons. It’s great to get some time away from it to get some perspective. ☺️
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Nothing is more important than self-love truly🌼 and one should always keep their hopes high whatever be the situation 😇and challenges give us more strength.
May the rest of the year goes well for you 🌻 and best wishes for your upcoming days🌻
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Thank you so much! Truly knowing your self worth and loving yourself is so important. It’s difficult but so so important.
Hope your year goes amazing! ❤️
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Thank you 🌻
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I literally have had the same thoughts penned down in my diary! It’s so strange how so many people are going through the same feeling of uncertainty and anxiety together.
I too have experienced atleast 4 of your 5 things you listed 😄 and I feel more confident .
Please keep writing.
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I think its amazing that we have this platform to share our feelings and thoughts. For the longest, I kept all these issues to myself. Its nice to interact with people who can help with my issues because they’ve gone through something similar. 🙂
How are you dealing with anxiety? Hope you’re feeling better. This year has shaken us all up! 😦
But yeah, hopefully we will emerge stronger and more confident to face 2021! ❤
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Thank you for writing this. Your words are an inspiration! More power to you. ✨
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Loved this post a lot. It’s truly motivating and amazing. I could easily relate to it☺️🤗 with some of the events of my life.♥️ Take care and stay happy
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