As 2020 comes to an end, there’s a great sense of energy and excitement to make a fresh start and say goodbye to the year that brought us all some much uncertainty and challenged our way of life. One of the best ways to create positive energy for the new year is to celebrate everything you’ve achieved or learned from the year.

2020 may not be a year you feel energized to reflect on. You may just feel like closing that chapter and moving onto the next one! However, by taking the time to look back on everything you’ve done, learnt, and achieved, you will be better positioned for the coming year. Reflection allows you to acknowledge and enjoy all the successes you’ve achieved– no matter how big or small. It allows you to gain perspective and learn more about yourself and the world around you.

Undoubtedly, your reflection this year is going to be different from other years. We’ve all dealt with new problems and had to overcome new hurdles. Reflecting may allow you to see those challenges in a different light, and to appreciate or learn from how you dealt with them. It may just remind you that there are still so many things to celebrate and you should feel proud of what you have achieved

A little exercise to reflect on the ups and downs of 2020 is to write down:

• What have you achieved this year? Both in your personal life and work
• What are the lessons learned? Break it up into work, family-life & health
• What would you like to stop doing?
• What are you going to start doing?

Take the time to think about why you’ve selected what you have, and what the intention is behind your reflections.

Year Highs for 2020

I found lots of things to celebrate and reflect on in my 2020, and I’m excited to share it with you!

The COVID-19 pandemic took my Yin and Nidra Yoga classes online. I also adapted to weekly online classes at a lifestyle centre. This was a bit of a shift, but I’ve now taught over 40 weeks completely online! I built an online portal on my website to store all the classes on, and there are now lots of free online Yin & Nidra Yoga classes, yin shape videos, and meditations on my YouTube channel. 

I had the opportunity to expand into face-to-face and online corporate yoga sessions. Many workplaces struggled with the COVID-19 changes this year, and my corporate yoga sessions were a great way to bring some positive mental health practice into the workplace. This was a really empowering experience and I would love to hear from you if you’re interested in helping your work place to prioritise mental health through Yin and Nidra Yoga sessions!

This year I also took on more clients who needed help creating routines and structures at home so they could feel more organised. Some of my strategies included helping to declutter an area to make it functional, developing systems to encourage independence in children, and setting up organisation systems for study and school work. I also worked with other therapists to implement strategies with little clients– like learning how to take turns and develop oral language, developing fine motor skills, helping them transition from activities, independent play and recognising emotions.

Lessons Learned

My business – Simply Happy

I had to accept that plans don’t always go as intended. Both my retreats had to be rescheduled due to COVID-19. Moving these retreats wasn’t easy, but I am happy that both have been rescheduled and are ready to go. One is in December and the other one will now be in May 2021 (If you’re interested in next year’s Mums’ Revive Retreat, jump on the waitlist for May!).

Like many of us, I faced lots of technology issues transitioning into online work. I struggled with sound and picture quality with my online classes. To overcome this, I upgraded my microphone, laptop, and external camera. I also worked hard to create a relaxing atmosphere at my home office/studio with plants, screens, and candles. 

With my family all at home too, we had to practice patience, flexibility and compromise to be able to do the things we needed to do. Adapting to the noise of my kids being at home was certainly a challenge! I learnt to be open and willing to do things a different way. I had to accept some disappointment with the changes at work, but not let it stop me from moving forward. 

My family-life

Remote learning and juggling my own work was exhausting! It felt like my husband and I were doing double shifts helping the kids during the day then working at night. My husband has been working from home since March and has no plans of returning to Melbourne. Before COVID-19, he’d leave for work at 7am and return after 7pm. The weekly juggle has been a lot easier for me with him at home! He’s been an active part of my son’s online lessons and therapist sessions, as well as taking both kids to school, sport, and helping with the night time routine.

We had to create new routines to help us all cope with the unpredictability. We started playing games either just before or after dinner. It added a fun and social experience to our meal routine as well as keeping our minds active during lockdowns. Instead of cooking dinner on Fridays, we’ve been ordering from local restaurants. It’s been a great way to learn more about what’s on offer, try something new, and support local businesses. We’ve also been going to the beach every Saturday morning. My daughter and husband have been surfing, while my son and I’ve been riding. We’ve really enjoyed getting out in nature and building connections.

My health

During restrictions I had to do online gym classes and Yin Yoga sessions. Like a lot of people, I found it a little harder to stay motivated. I missed getting out of the house for exercise, so I started walking the dog a lot more. I was able to build mindfulness into my walks and daily routine. 

To maintain wellbeing, I’ve been writing down three positive things at the end of each week in my diary. It’s become part of my preparation for the next week. It’s lovely to be able to see all the great things in my life written on paper, particularly when things felt more difficult than usual. 

Socialising certainly looked a little different this year! I stayed connected with a group of friends over messenger. We also caught up on video calls every couple of weeks. I am very grateful to have been able to maintain this connection with friends over such a long period of physical isolation. It had such a positive impact for all of our mental and social well being.

Now that you’ve read all about my year, perhaps you’d like to reflect on your own year! As crazy as 2020 has been, I am sure you have plenty of achievements to celebrate. Take the time to pat yourself on the back and look back over everything you have done.

What are you celebrating for 2020?