Embracing the Second Half of 2020
The beginning of July brings us halfway through 2020. When I look back at January and February of this year, before COVID-19 affected our lives, it feels like so long ago. The Emily that went to Las Vegas for her birthday back in February didn’t know what was coming; how a pandemic was about to change all of her plans and try to affect her mental health.
The struggle hasn’t only been with being so isolated and needing to cancel important plans. It’s also been that since most of my distractions have been removed, it’s caused me to think even more about some difficult situations in my life. Situations that I can’t do anything about, which make them especially tough.
From March to July, I’ve gone through so many different emotions. I think that’s why February of this year feels like years ago rather than months ago. The toughest month for me so far was May. Because in April, there was a “we’re in this together” attitude that helped me cope with the situation. But when more things started reopening in May, that feeling started to fade. And I was really disappointed to see that happen. In June, I spent most of my time trying to process everything that had happened and figure out the best way that I could keep moving forward.
COVID-19 has taken a lot from me. But you know what, I’m getting used to that reality now. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes which is: “when nothing is sure, everything is possible.” I have begun to focus on embracing the moment I’m in and looking towards the future with curiosity. Losing a lot means that there is that much more room for new opportunities in the future.
Those of us who have had our routines disrupted and have committed ourselves to practicing social distancing as much as possible are going through a lot. I also think we’ve probably learned quite a bit too. I think at this point, I’m starting to better come to terms with the fact that this entire year is going to look completely different than I thought. That if a vaccine comes this year, it’s going to be at the very end of the year. For a while, I was holding out hope that maybe by the fall, things would be okay again. But with cases rising significantly around the country lately, that hope no longer seems realistic. But like I said, I’m starting to come to terms with that.
After living this “new normal” for a few months, I’m beginning to feel more at peace with it. I’m making future plans and setting goals that are more realistic for my situation and the times I’m living in. For example, instead of planning gatherings indoors, I’m planning times to meet up with people outside in a backyard or at a park (and keeping some distance between us). Instead of planning a vacation where we fly to get there and go to a bunch of indoor places, we’re planning road trips to explore national parks and other outdoor destinations. Instead of going to thrift stores to look for inventory for my Ebay business, I’m sewing homemade masks to sell (stay tuned for details on that!). Is my life as good as it was before the pandemic? Definitely not, but I know that the right thing to do is to adjust my plans in order to help at-risk people not catch the virus. I want to look back on this time in my life and know that I did the best I could to help the cause. I’m still looking forward to the post-coronavirus future but I’ve accepted that it’s going to take longer to get back to normal than I initially thought. So, I’m trying to refocus on the things that I can control. I’m realizing that this time away from distractions is a unique opportunity for personal growth.
This month starts the second half of 2020. The first half of 2020 took me by surprise. In the first half of the year, I struggled with everything that had changed and I mourned for the year that was not to be. Now, going into the second half of the year, I’m focusing on embracing what is. This is something I want to encourage you to do as well. I think sometimes, reaching a milestone like a specific date can help us get a fresh start. Think about it, if you decide to commit the second half of 2020 to setting new (or adjusted) goals and making the best of things, who knows where you could be at the end of the year? I’ll say this, you won’t regret having tried.
If you don’t feel ready at this moment, I completely get that too. I had a bad day on Sunday and felt so negative about things even though I’ve been trying to focus my energy on a fresh outlook. I know I’m going to still have bad days because I’m human and this is an unprecedented situation. But on the bad days, we can always try again in the next moment, or the next day, or the next week.
Hopefully this is encouraging to someone out there. If you’re trying to social distance and you feel alone or just want to have a friend who relates, please reach out to me. We don’t have to do this alone. Because we aren’t alone. Our work is invisible but it makes a difference.
So remember, when nothing is sure, anything is possible. In the second half of 2020, let’s try to embrace what is and use this unique time to work on our personal growth so that when the post-coronavirus future comes (and it WILL come!) we will be ready to put our best foot forward!
Emily