I Simply Remember My Favorite Things
…and then I don’t feel so bad. This song could have been on repeat in my mind this past year. Some days were wonderful and some days I needed to focus on all the good while the world was in chaos. What got you through 2020? Here were a few of my favorite things:
Mental Health Walks - There is a trail near my house and especially in March/April I made a habit on going out every day - rain, shine, or snow- to walk. Sometimes short walks, but more often an hour or more just to get a change of space.
Zoom Bookclub - Staying connected to my girlfriends as the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movements grew and having a touchstone every month to other people’s lives - their families, work struggles, and celebrations kept me connected to reality when so much felt unreal and unfathomable.
Meditation- I used my meditation app regularly to cultivate inner balance and help me sleep. Once I was ready to uplevel I signed up for monthly meditation and yoga retreats from home as a moment of quiet to look forward to on a regular basis.
Yoga Pants - After years of questing for the perfect yoga pants, I found them in the Beyond Yoga Spacedye Leggings. They are a perfect weight, stretch, and length for me. I love that they have sizes XXS-XL-4X and models that range in body size and type as well. It’s also rated on the “Good on You” site that helps me sort through company practices around health and sustainability, so I feel like I know what I’m buying.
The Boulder Public Library and Lafayette Public Library - I’m so grateful for the incredible work the libraries did to make physical books and e-books available this year. I love to read and the ability to access books when suddenly everything closed has been amazing.
My human and animal household - We’ve been bored, cooped up, snuggled up, out adventuring, and having SO many discussions about our activities (or not activities) and risk-tolerance (you’ve been there!) As a household, my husband, cat, new puppy, and I have been learning, growing, and making up silly games to make each other laugh, even on the hard days.
YouTube Workouts - Even when I started posting gentle stretches and my own yoga on youtube I didn’t realize it was a hub for awesome (free!) at-home workouts. Thankfully, I now know there is a way to work up a sweat when it is too cold or too dark to get outside.
One-on-One Phone/Video Calls - I miss seeing people! To tide me over I’ve really enjoyed calling friends and family and having long or short chats. Connecting individually has given me a deeper connection with some friends and family than we would get at a big gathering and for those living solo or with young children the adult conversation feels so good.
Mindful Browsing - I’ll share all my tech habits someday because I have pretty great technology boundaries, but this year I loved this extension that I put on a few websites. It asks me if I want to be browsing or offers me another option of my choosing (like going for a walk, calling a friend, or taking a few deep breaths) and then checks in again after the time-limit of my choosing.
This Song - I saw this little ditty on Instagram a while back and it has both gotten stuck in my head and become a mantra on days when I just don’t want to be living in a pandemic. When I want to go out without my mask, hang out casually in a friends living room, or not sanitize one more thing - I sing this to myself and it just makes things a little bit better.
Reading Terrifying News Articles in Equal Measure to Stories of Human Kindness - I have been in the practice of weekly or bi-weekly reading full through an article about how many people have died from COVID-19, overwhelmed medical systems, or personal loss and hardship counterbalanced with stories of incredible kindness. When my own orbit is feeling safe, this reminds me of why it is worth it to do all the extra things to stay as safe as I can and be as kind as I can.
Shopping Local - The farmer’s market, fresh flowers, local books, local coffee, local takeout, even our puppy is local :0 It’s always been important to me to spend my money in the community, but this year without traveling and with the pandemic it’s felt critical to support small businesses whenever I can.
This is just my starter list. What has been getting you through 2020? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
