Positively Weightless

Happy last Sunday of 2020 everyone! This is the last post I will share with any readers that come along to my page here of this year, and I wanted to keep the tradition alive and take this last post to reflect on the year and talk a little about looking towards 2021 and what that means to me. I think it is safe to say that this year had plenty of ups and downs, more downs than most would like to admit, so looking back is going to be interesting to say the least. As always I want to put a positive spin on things, however, and talk about what we can look forward to in 2021.

2020 in so many ways seemed like the gift that kept on giving... but by gift I mean that one gift you would like to forget about yet it keeps on getting worse. Think about all we have been through in just the past 366 days (because remember people this was a leap year too!) We have been through a global pandemic that has killed millions of people and infected millions more. We have been through a civil rights movement that is still going but more notably sparked protests all over the world, not just in America, back in May/June. America also had a record breaking election, that in some ways still seems to be never-ending. We spent a lot of the year away from the ones we love because of this pandemic to ensure our and their safety. Not even to mention that this pandemic has brought out the very best and the very worst in people all over. We saw selfless acts all over the place during those first few months of the pandemic. Neighbors helped each other out, all while others acted incredibly selfishly. But I am not here to get into politics or preach about right and wrong. My point is that we all as a human race have been through so much this past year and no matter what we did and how we handled it, we deserve to celebrate that we have made it this far.

So what did 2020 look like for me? Well if you follow this blog at all I have been sharing my thoughts every week as always, but lets talk about the highlights a bit. I have been taking this pandemic very seriously along with my parents so we did not see anyone for months. I had my very first piece of published work come out in March, and have since been published in an online poetry magazine. I am grateful to have kept my job throughout this entire pandemic and that my financial situation did not really change at all, I know many were not so lucky. I drank a lot of cold brew coffee, did a number of workouts from home and realized just how much I love the gym, read a lot more than I have since college, did A LOT of baking and started to genuinely enjoy baking fresh bread like so many others during quarantine. Sadly in late October we had to put our sweet pup Tobie down, but on the very same day the world gained another sweet soul when my best friend had her baby. This year was full of so many ups and downs and it is pretty crazy to look back and realize that all of this was in the span of the year.

So what about 2021? Contrary to what it seems a lot of people think, the pandemic does not just disappear at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. That does not mean, however, that things will not look better and that we won't move on and forward. I think a lot of people, myself included, gained some weight this year. I know it is so very stereotypical but with the new year approaching it is a good idea to work on that again. Look, a few weeks ago I decided to just call this year a wash and just focus again in January. No that does not mean I stopped working out completely or went totally crazy during the holidays, but overall I just lost focus since it was such a crazy year. In my opinion that is okay but I am going to do my very best and really focus on the gym and nutrition again in 2021. Do your best to forgive yourself for anything you may have been lacking with this year and just work on trying again in the future. I plan to focus on my health again and spend more time on things I love to do. I plan on making myself a priority when this past year as I have mentioned I was focusing more on other people. 

The best thing we can do while reflecting on this past year is look back and applaud ourselves for getting through it. No matter how much you lost this year, you got through it and that means you are strong. We skipped family gatherings, we said goodbye, or in some cases were unable to say goodbye, to ones we lost, our mental health went on a serious rollercoaster, along with our physical health from being stuck inside all day. None of that goes without acknowledgement. Realize that you would not be reading this right now if you did not get through it. Realize that you are strong. Realize that things will get better but only if you keep looking and walking forward. Thank yourself for getting you through this year. Treat yourself with kindness, and lets all work on loving ourselves even more in the coming year. Let's make it a great one, as best as we can! Happy New Year to all of you!

Well the holidays are officially here. This will be my last post before Christmas day so I wanted to do something in honor of that this week. All the holidays are all about traditions. We all have them to some degree, even if they have faded through the years. This year especially though a lot of our traditions had to be put on hold (or should have because of the pandemic but I am not here to give a lecture). I wanted to talk a little about that today. There are so many ways it can still feel like Christmas even if things are a little different this year. There are so many things we can still do, and new things we can do this year, in order to truly keep the Christmas Spirit alive.

Let's start with the traditions that do not need to change this year. My family in particular has so many different holiday traditions that we have kept going through all of the years, but we also like to make new ones from time to time as well. Of course Covid did not change the fact that we put up our pretty tree, decorated it with all the ornaments we have collected over the years, and that we light it every night. We still sent Christmas cards, we still put up all kinds of decorations and just made our living room look like the North Pole. All of that did not need to change at all. My mom and I have watched all kinds of Christmas movies and specials on TV just like we do every year, and we are both looking forward to watching "White Christmas" together on Christmas Eve like we do every single year. So many traditions just like these did not need to change at all, which keeps the Christmas spirit alive.

What about traditions that needed to be revised a little? We still baked Christmas cookies this year, but not quite as many as we usually do. We skipped the cut out cookies since Kristin, Gina, and Desiree couldn't come over to help decorate. We of course won't be exchanging cookies as much this year, so we simply cut back, but I still had a lot of fun in my new Christmas apron baking! I know a lot of families won't be together this year on the holiday, but I know many of them are making due with what they can. My extended family is planning a virtual holiday, and I am sure many are doing the same. Just because you can't be with someone physically this year does not mean you can't see them! There are so many ways you can just tweak your usual traditions around in order to make them work this year, and unless your family gathering is small, I highly suggest you do!

Now what about the things we simply cannot do this year? A great example for me would be my office Christmas party. I look forward to it every year but there was of course no way to make that possible this year since my office is pretty big. All the more reason to look forward to next year's party right? Some traditions just cannot happen this year sadly, but that doesn't mean you can't still do something in its place! Instead of going to an event you can take a drive with your family to look at Christmas lights. Sure we can't have a big party, but why not instead take the night that party would have been and have a Christmas movie night with your family. Pop some popcorn, make some hot chocolate, and cozy up together in your pajamas. There are plenty of new traditions we can all make this year in place of the old ones we simply would not be safe doing this year. I promise you it will be worth it in the end if it means keeping everyone you love safe.

I want to end this on a positive note because that is just what I do. Instead of dwelling on the traditions we can't do this year, we should instead be grateful we are still on this earth to celebrate Christmas. This time of year is all about giving and goodwill towards all. Instead of complaining about what you cannot do why not use that energy to make the holiday brighter for someone else. I said all this last week, but I just think it is so important to say. It is not too late to donate to a good cause, buy a toy for a child in an underprivileged family, donate food to a food bank, etc. There are so many ways to celebrate the season of giving not just this year but every year. With the holiday rush we all at times become blinded by the commercial aspects of Christmas, but just remember to think of the true intent of this holiday, giving. Even if you do not have a traditional holiday, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate, and I will see you next week to wrap up this stressful year!

Happy Sunday! Here we are right in the holiday season. I hope you are making the best out of it as I am trying to do. I am someone that most years lets Christmas stress me out. Once the childhood innocence of Christmas is lost and you are responsible for making sure some things get done a little of the magic is lost (or a lot depending on the person). This year, however I am not allowing that to happen. This year I am not letting the holidays stress me out and I encourage you to do the same. This year has been stressful enough for all of us, we shouldn't let one of the most joyous and beautiful times of the year also be that way. That brings me to today's topic. I want to go back to talking about emotions, but I also wanted to go into self-care a bit more after last week's so I am going to rope those into one.

Happiness is such a complex emotion. We genuinely can feel happy in so many different ways. Sometimes just seeing a puppy in the car next to me when I am driving home from work makes me smile, but happiness can be found in much bigger packages as well. Weddings, new babies, proposals, etc. are all big events in your life that spark great amounts of happiness. Happiness truly is a big part of live that equates to a full and well lived life. Now sometimes it also isn't all that easy to acquire. If you are not particularly happy at this moment in time that is perfectly okay too. We as humans are meant to feel all different emotions, and if we only ever felt happy, it surely would lose its luster to some extent. We appreciate the highs so much more because we also experience the lows. 

So what if you are not feeling happy? My biggest piece of advice, just as it was last week, is to make yourself a priority. It is so easy to take care of other people that you love and always worry about them that you do not take two seconds to check in with yourself and your mental health. Try to make happiness a priority. Trust me I get how easy it is to get frustrated and let that spoil your mood. I finished up my Christmas shopping this past Friday and let me tell you people (as expected) were acting like maniacs this time of year. It took everything in my not to get frustrated but I powered through, got my shopping done, and now I can relax. Plus that bad mood is almost always fixed for me by putting on the song "Linus and Lucy" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and picturing all the little dances the characters do while I listen to it. That sounds so silly but whatever works right?

Check in with yourself and see how you are doing. Ask yourself when the last time you genuinely smiled was. Just as I suggested last week to do things for yourself, the same thing can be said this week. If you are feeling a bit down, do something that will spark joy in yourself. Watch an old holiday special you loved as a kid. Bake some cookies with your mom or your kids. Sometimes even giving to others is enough to make us happy as well. If it is in your budget and you can buy a toy to toss into the Toys for Tots bin do it. Take an angel off of your Church's charity tree and purchase the gift. Leave a plate of cookies on your neighbor's house that may live alone and has been alone most of this year because of social distancing. Sometimes all we need to do to smile is make someone else smile. But don't be afraid to be a little selfish as well and care for yourself.

This is such a lovely time of year so let's all do our best to enjoy it. I think we all could use a mental health break from the media, politics, current events, etc. Now of course stay informed and keep doing your part to not spread the virus in this pandemic, but I think everyone deserves to spend the next few weeks as oblivious to all the pain and suffering that has occurred throughout this year as possible. There is a way to do so without being insensitive of the loss others (or even you yourself) have suffered this year. Keep looking forward at the light at the end of the tunnel. Look toward the North Star, or better yet the star on the top of your Christmas tree, as a symbol to keep leading and pushing forward. The human race as a whole has been through a tremendously difficult year, so I think it is fair to take the last few weeks of said year to move forward and still enjoy the joyous time of year. Hang in there, keep looking ahead, and take some time to make yourself a priority and make your happiness a priority. 

 Happy Sunday all! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving if you celebrate, and if you did I hope you did your very best to keep not only you, but your family safe. I was having a bit of a rough day last Sunday, so I decided to skip posting. Mostly because I was feeling uninspired and didn't want to force a post that was less than my usual effort. That has lead me into this week's post. I do want to get back into my series of emotions, but I think that is going to wait until after the holidays now. This week I want to talk about struggling. 

I think it is safe to say we have all struggled to some extent this year. I know some people have had a much tougher time this year than others, especially if someone you love has passed from this horrible pandemic. To be quite honest this whole year has just felt like an entire year of doom and gloom. Between weddings canceled, trips canceled, not being able to see family for the holidays, jobs lost, and so much more there has just been a lot of loss this year and it is enough to take an emotional toll on anyone. Even me, Miss Positivity has seriously struggled to keep that positive, happy-go-lucky attitude in life, and I only now realized it. I thought I was dealing with everything fine until recently when I really thought things through a little more and I realize I also was struggling with things a lot more than I thought I was.

So let's reflect a bit. Think about anything negative that came out of this year for you. Now I am not saying this in the sense that you should relive these horrible things, but if you are like me this year, you might be bottling things up until they become one big massive mess. If you have also been pushing those feelings aside, that genuinely is not a good thing to do. You need to allow yourself to feel all of these feelings. I think it is important to know you are most definitely not alone. We are all struggling to some extent this year, for big and small reasons. Maybe you are extra emotional. I know I have been extra irritable because of the stress and I do not like that I have been that way. Maybe you have a lack of motivation. Also me. Think about all these little signs and acknowledge them. Accepting that and actually dealing with it is such an important step in keeping a healthy mind through everything.

So once you have acknowledged you have been struggling, then what? Well I think there are plenty of things you can do to move forward and try to live a bit calmer in life. For one you can do something that might soothe you. Take a nice relaxing bubble bath, diffuse some calming essential oils, have a nice cup of herbal tea. There are so many small things like this to calm you My mother recently suggested to me that I start to journal. I obviously love writing, but I usually have a specific purpose in my writing. Why not channel that and focus on no other topic other than myself and my emotions. I also need to focus more on my workouts and really buckle down with them. I know working out is more than just for your body, so I know the fact that I have let that slip this year is a contributing factor as well. Overall my message here is to make yourself a priority. It is so easy to worry about other people so much that you lose sight of yourself and your needs along the way. I am sure this is especially true with mothers. Just know that it is perfectly okay to be a little selfish and work on yourself from time to time. Do something for your own mental clarity and happiness, because you will also do a lot better taking care of others if you make yourself a priority as well.

Please know that you are not alone. We all have our own personal struggles and battles we deal with every day. Just because someone else may be struggling for a much bigger reason does not mean your struggle and your feelings are invalid. This year has been hard. There has been so much sadness all over the world this year and I think it is safe to say that takes a mental toll on every single one of us, no matter how strong we try our best to perceive ourselves to be. You are not alone, and you are perfectly valid to take some time on you for your own mental health. Stop bottling things in because that is neevr good for anyone. Feel all of those feelings, allow yourself to deal with those feelings, and move forward even better than before for allowing that. You are always valid in doing so.