2021

2022 is at our doorsteps. In a couple of days, we will turn the page on 2021, wishing each other love, peace, and happiness while everything remains uncertain. The world is changing, and we do not know where we stand and where we are heading. It is still taking us time to grasp this concept and adjust to the reality that we do not control our circumstances as much as we thought. We are in transition, and the part that troubles us is that we are not even sure about the new reality we are transitioning to. Our future is uncertain as we are confronting social, political, economic, and public health challenges.

How do you get to joy in the middle of all of this?  

The past two years have taken us through the seven stages of grief. We started with shock, went through pain and guilt, anger, depression, to arrive at the upward turn that is to take us to acceptance and hope. Depression, we are told, is the most challenging stage, but it also is unavoidable if we want to achieve hope and learn to thrive in a new reality. When we dared to be hopeful and enthusiastic about the future, here comes Omicron. The timing could not have been worse, right around the holidays.

How do we cope?  

First, let’s practice gratitude. If you are reading this post, you are blessed and lucky. To have access to a computer, have power, and be warm and cozy with a full belly, you are doing pretty well. And better than most. Let me not forget to express my gratitude for your support and encouragement in overcoming my shyness and introverted status to share my truth. Nothing pleases me more than one of you telling me that it has been a long time, and you cannot wait to read the next post.

Gratitude.  

Next, let’s protect and preserve our mental health. Let’s also make an effort to protect others’ mental health. Let’s practice kindness and give each other grace for being human and failing at times. Let’s remember that we are strong and frail at the same time and be the strength for others when they experience their frailness. Let’s favor activities and tasks that help quiet our minds, ground us, and bring about inner peace and serenity. Let’s live in the moment and be present while we are reading these words.

Inner peace. Serenity

Finally, let’s look back over the past year and remind ourselves of the growth and knowledge we acquired. Let us rejoice in our ability to learn still and evolve. A podcast speaker asked the following question: “What has 2021 taught you? I had to pause for a minute upon hearing him. I had to think deeply and had to write down the answer. What had I learned from 2021? The process of looking for an answer brought me serenity. Then, the light bulb went off.

Detachment. 

I had learned detachment in 2021. I learned to detach from outcomes to focus on the task and my efforts. I realized that if I focus on the task at hand and do my best, I am bound to be pleased with the results. Detaching from outcomes and what no longer serves me has been a vital breakthrough. I let go of toxic, competitive, and emotionally abusive relationships. I decided to stay away from judgmental people and those who, hurting inside, try in turn to hurt and extinguish the light in others.

I learned to let people know with firmness and kindness when they hurt me through their words and actions. More importantly, I learned to move on without dwelling on the act or the person, making sure that the toxic circumstances, facts, and people were firmly in the past by the time I finished expressing my perspective. I mostly succeeded. When I did not right away, I waited to be prepared for a discussion and addressed it later. I have learned to express my expectations, disappointments, and hurt using words, and not dignified silence. It has made me a much happier person.

I have detached from others’ expectations of me and marched through my own beat. I am grown now. It took the hardships and challenges of 2021 to bring me to full adulthood.