Time to wake up to the things that need celebrating
IN the blizzard of messages, resolutions and motivational posts that welcomed in the New Year, one stood out.
“There’ll always be more to do. More growth, more healing, more cleaning. More, more, more. Take a moment today to just be.
“Stop thinking about all the things you still have to do and think about all that you’ve already done. Celebrate it all.”
The message from Alysha Waghorn (@girlandhermagic). really made me stop and think.
I want 2022 to be the year we stop beating ourselves up about the things we think we haven’t accomplished – professionally, romantically, domestically – and celebrate the positives instead.
We’ve lived the past two years in the grip of an unprecedented pandemic. Many of us have put plans on hold or abandoned them altogether.
A lot of people, me included, won’t have been able to see and hug overseas family for many, many months, and that has been tough.
People have lost dear loved ones suddenly and more than one million Brits are still battling long Covid.
Businesses have closed across the country – 50 shops a day shut in the first half of 2021 – and the hospitality and entertainment industries have weathered
Stop beating ourselves up over the things we haven’t accomplished
more than their fair share of trouble.
It hasn’t been easy by a long shot. But in spite of all that gloom, we have come a long way.
We’re one year into a successful vaccine programme, we’re seeing fewer deaths from Covid and we have gained a newfound appreciation for our key workers.
There’s been a surge of community spirit and a willingness to help others. And schools, for the most part, have been kept open – long may that last.
When I recently had a positive Covid test, my friend optimistically said: “Well you get to spend more time under the duvet – relax.
“Don’t think about that email you haven’t sent or the carpets that still need hoovering. Relax and be thankful it’s not a lot worse.”
She’s so right.
So if I can recommend doing anything in 2022, it’s to reflect on the things you’ve already done, no matter how small they may seem, and to celebrate them. These things are important.
And as someone else said to me, waking up in the morning, taking a deep breath and being able to put one foot in front of the other is something worth celebrating every day.