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Due to the pandemic, I’m keeping my goals small, flexible, and open-ended this year. Right now Toronto is in lockdown due to our hospitals being overrun with patients suffering from life-threatening cases of Covid-19. Everyone has been ordered to avoid mixing with other households and to only leave home for essential purposes like grocery shopping or going to work (for those who can’t work from home).
I’m doing my best not to try to predict when the current vaccination efforts here will begin to reduce the pressure on our overwhelmed hospitals, much less when life will start to feel at all normal again.
These are the things I can control, so they’re the goals I’ve set for this year:
Meditate Daily. I meditated a few times a week in 2020 and am trying to make that part of my daily routine in 2021.
Exercise Daily. Not all of my workouts are strenuous by any means. Sometimes I simply go take a walk and enjoy the crisp, winter air! I notice both mental and physical health benefits from doing something active every single day, so I make a point of prioritizing it.
Look for the Good in the World. Honestly, I believe this habit is most important in times just like these. This doesn’t mean I ignore the difficult parts of life, only that I think humans sometimes need a little prodding to take note of what’s going well for them (or humanity in general).
Try New Things. Right now this must be limited to new recipes, TV shows, and movies, but I hope it will be safe to leave home and expand that list dramatically later on this year. Will I be able to take that dance class I wanted to try a year ago? Make new friends? Learn a new skill? End up with a job or volunteering gig as a result of saying yes to something I haven’t even heard of yet? The possibilities are endless, and I’m open to them all.
Finally, here is one final goal that is only somewhat under my control this year but still important to me:
Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19 . I’m in a low risk group for this illness, so it will be quite a while before there are enough vaccines for young, healthy folks like me. Still, I want to do my part to help end this pandemic for the sake of everyone who can’t be vaccinated and/or who is high risk for this illness.
Meditate and exercise are really important for mental and physical health. They go hand in hand. Good for you.
Thank you!
These are awesome goals. And I’m so sorry things are bad there. I hope all the hard hit areas (and let’s face it, that feels like MOST areas right now) see improvements soon.
Thank you. I hope we all turn the corner soon.
I like the idea of looking for the good in the world. I think we all could use that. I’m starting with the pup next to me that’s sleeping. That makes me happy, so that’s a good thing. Hugs.
Thanks. Hugs to you, too! Hope your dog had a good nap.
I honestly think the only thing that’s kept me sane this past year has been my daily morning walk…it’s remarkable how much just a little fresh air and exercise helps!
Your goals are absolutely do-able, so I have every faith you’ll reach them.
Our governor set monthly expectations for when various groups should be eligible for the vaccination. It’s frontline workers now, then nursing home residents this month. Then folks over 74 (this is my 87 yo mom) in Feb, etc. I’m low, low risk so wouldn’t be eligible until May. But that’s okay. I have every hope and expectation that, by then, this pandemic will be on its way out the door…
Happy 2021 to all of us 🙂
Thank you!
I’m glad your daily walks are helping, and it’s good to hear your mom is getting vaccinated soon.
What a beautiful post, Lydia! Back in September, my health provider gave us a free premium subscription to the Calm app. I took the 30 day meditation challenge. What a difference in my mood and attitude. I’ve learned to not react and to simply ‘breathe’ when everything is far too stressful. Daily meditation has helped me tremendously.
Here’s to a much better 2021! All the best! 🙂
Aww, thanks. Calm is the app I use, too. It’s fantastic. I’m glad you also find it so helpful.
Meditation is a game changer, honestly. Between that and yoga, I’ve found a bit of calm in this world.
Good luck with your other goals. I like the idea of trying new things, too, it gives you a sense of adventure even when you can’t leave home.
Thanks a lot, Aimee! Yoga is one of my main forms of exercise these days. And, yes, that is definitely one of the benefits of trying new things.
I like the small, open-ended goals approach. Mine are maybe a little more definite — well, the writing one is — but I think trying to stay balanced and flexible is the only way to go right now. Good luck!
Thank you. And I agree.
Thanks for stopping by earlier.
I’m going to look at the Calm app… and I do way too much sitting as I work. I should have added daily exercise to my post…thanks for the reminder!
You’re welcome. The Calm app is awesome. I hope you enjoy it! They do offer a few things for free, but I love it so much I have a subscription.
These are some great goals! Looking for good in the world really resonates with me. It’s really hard to do, especially considering recent events, but that’s a great thing to constantly keep in mind. Good luck with your goals 🙂
Thank you. I’m glad my goals resonated with you.
Wonderful goals Lydia! Some are on my list too. Thanks for sharing. Here’s mine.
https://www.tenastetler.com/my-goals-for-2021/
Thanks a lot.
Meditation is something I have never considered. I probably could benefit from it. One group I’m in has offered guided meditations over Zoom, and I might try that. I’m glad you’re still looking for the good in the world. I am determined to do that too.
Thank you. I hope you do try that Zoom meditation group. It sounds wonderful.
You have some great goals, Lydia. I agree exercise is wonderful for mental health. If I don’t do some kind of exercise every day, I notice my stress level goes way up. I hope you have a wonderful 2021!
Thank you! You, too!
These are all great goals! Good luck with them!
Thank you very much!
For your daily exercise have you tried following a yoga video on youtube? It’s hard work (depending on whether you’re naturally flexible or not) but it’s actually turned into my favorite type of workout. I also can’t wait to get the vaccine but Brazil doesn’t even have a start date for anyone to start getting it :/
Yes, that’s exactly what I do! How did you guess? Which yoga videos do you use from Youtube?
I hope you hear when Brazil will start vaccinating soon. That must be frustrating!
Trying new things and getting vaccinated are definitely on my list. I’m low risk myself but will be happy to get it.
Cool.
Good luck with your goals – they’re a really positive set to take into the new year. I’m with you, I really notice the benefit of being active each day, even just a 20 minute stroll round the block after dinner if the day gets away from me. My goal is to get out every day and to work on my general fitness I can get back to running 3 times a week – working up to 10km distance again over the summer. But we’ll see! For now, I’m loving my walks 🙂
Aww, thanks.
Running is an awesome form of exercise. Best of luck with it. Do you think you’ll blog about it?