Everyone is talking about the new normal. No one really knows what that will look like. Currently, normal, at least for me and most people I know, is staying home, staying within the confines of our own personal space, and going outside of that only for necessities. Today is day 49 of “staying at home” 95% of the time. You know how you feel on Sundays, knowing you have to go back to work on Monday morning?
So much is out of our control. And, with the way the world is today - we don’t even have control over whether we can leave the house. Of course, we stay home, because we want to be safe and do our part to keep others healthy, but it’s freakin’ hard. That’s why it’s important for us to remember the things we do have control over.
With the changes put into place to keep us healthy and safe, it’s very likely that your life may be in a sort of upheaval. We all have different circumstances, so we are experiencing different upheavals. But most of us can probably agree that life is different now from last month or even a couple weeks ago. And, if you’re like me, you’re wondering if this is the new normal, and if so, something needs to change!
Feeling anxious, anyone? Right now, with everything going on, it’s no wonder we are experiencing higher levels of anxiety. Of course, we’re concerned with our health, safety, and well-being (and our loved ones), but there are lots of other reasons for this heightened level of anxiety that aren’t necessarily that obvious.
I will never again tell my kids that I am proud of them. So, you might be assuming that I’m one of those people who thinks we praised our kids too much and that’s why the millenials turned out so lazy and entitled. Um, no, I am NOT one of those people. But, I’m not proud of my kids for what they’ve done.
Where I live, it’s been so dreary lately – rain, clouds, and gloomy weather are the norm. Sometimes, in the middle of winter or during a long stint of this kind of weather, we can get into a slump. We feel sluggish and can’t seem to get out of this funk.
I bet you do something special for your loved ones on Valentine’s Day and even on lots of other days that aren’t “Hallmark Holidays.” So, can I assume that you do special things for yourself on these days too? Because you ARE one of your loved ones, right? Ok, so you’re saying, well…...sorta, yeah. Maybe it’s more likely that you put yourself last.
So, it’s 2020 – how did THAT HAPPEN? Right? Since it’s the beginning of this new year and with “vision” being the topic of the year (20-20 vision), I thought it would be great to work on our own Clear Vision by creating a vision board. Wouldn’t you like to motivate yourself to reach your goals by visualizing your dreams coming true? All motivation is welcomed by me!!
Do you set goals – like actually sit down and take the time to DO goal planning? Are you someone who gets excited to look over the past year, make notes of your achievements, and make detailed plans for the upcoming year? Yeah, me either. Well, I never used to. I actually began doing basic goal setting the past couple of years. This year I intentionally focused on the two basic goal setting essentials, because I am really feeling a need to get better at 1) planning ahead and 2) recognizing my achievements.
A lot of holidays are associated with gift giving and receiving, and for me, that brings to mind the feeling of having enough. During this time of year, there is a huge focus on stuff - buying stuff to give to others,stuff to decorate our homes, stuff to wear for holiday events, stuff to take to holiday events, stuff to host events, etc. etc. etc. Many of us will be out the night before the holiday, buying more stuff, because it never seems like enough. Can we ever have enough stuff?