How To Truly Move On And Leave 2020 Behind
This is for everyone that feels like 2020 just took everything out of them. For everyone who tried their best and still felt defeated, you're one of many. You might be putting all your hope into 2021 being better, but you won't be able to until you've truly let go of this year.
Leave the negativity in the past, but don't set your expectations too high for 2021 either.
Don't Jinx 2021
Next year, we don't want to leave anything to change. If 2020 taught us anything it's that the future is highly unpredictable. Don't jinx it by setting yourself up with unrealistic goals and expectations.
At the same time, don't leave it all to chance. Set yourself up with achievable small milestones that you can tackle one at a time.
Stop Repeating "This Will Be My Year"
Good on you for your optimism, but what does saying "this will be my year" really imply? Are you saying this is the year you hope love magically falls into your lap or you win the lottery?
Maybe the key to breaking the cycle of terrible years is to stop assuming it will be better and just let the year do its thing.
Take Your Time In Making Decisions
"No hasty decisions in 2021 as haste can waste time and money both!" G. Ritu / Quora
The year 2020 should have taught you patience. Take the time to outweigh the aftermath of your decisions and figure out if it's really worth it to get back together with an ex just because you're lonely.
Stop Slacking
You can only use the pandemic as an excuse for so long. Every day that you start sooner is a day that you get closer to your goals, no matter how small they are.
If you're going to get fit, go for that run now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow you'll already be more fit.
Leave Toxic People Behind In 2020
Leave behind the people that did not make 2020 any easier for you. This year showed you who will be there to nurture your craving for human contact, even at a distance, and who disappears when showing up stops being convenient.
Trust in people's true colors. Make 2021 about people who are worth your time and energy.
Leave Behind Your Attachment To The Wrong Things
Leave behind your attachment to the things that are wrong for you. Stop looking through photos of memories that once were, and grieving the loss of a job that left you drained.
Yes, maybe those things brought you comfort and uncertainty, but take their loss as the push you've missed out on to try something new.
Leave Behind Your Expectations
Expectations are limiting. Instead of motivating you to achieve more, they set you back every time you're disappointed for not having met them. Don't expect love, don't expect a promotion, don't expect new experiences.
Instead, just keep working towards them and go with the flow. You'll get to places you never even expected.
Learn To Give Up Control
You can't help but want to tame a bad situation, except there are things that are just out of your hands. Instead of needing to control, learn to adapt to change.
Embrace new surroundings, experiences, and lifestyles. Instead of thinking of a lockdown as your life on pause, think of it as a time to focus on yourself and your health.
Remember That Worrying Is A Waste Of Time
The time and energy that you spend worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet is time and energy that you could be spending on preventing it.
Learn to just live in the moment, and if the worst happens, you'll figure it out then. Why ruin your time from now until then too?
Look At The Big Picture
We tend to zoom in on situations and lose perspective, especially when our feelings are involved. Yet, we live in a huge world with endless possibilities, so there's no way to know how one bad situation will end up playing out.
Often, it'll just put you on a new path that ends up proving to be a better one.
Think Short-Term
You wanted to be married and with four kids by 32, but clearly, that hasn't worked. So rather than trying to come up with another ten-year plan, just plan for tomorrow.
Think of how you want simply the next few weeks to look like. Those will add up and completely change the ones after that. Eventually, the rest will fall into place without you trying to predict it.
Stop Trying To Rush
When you want to cook a good meal, do you quickly throw it on the stove and hope it cooks fast enough, or do you let it simmer? When you rush, you don't pay attention, and you make mistakes.
You act under stress instead of patience. Change will happen when it needs to.
Understand Your Attachment Style
The way you attach yourself to people, events, and things play a huge role in how you separate yourself from them. Some studies found that people who reported higher self-esteem, less rejection sensitivity, and lower levels of attachment anxiety were less affected by breakups.
Learning your attachment style will impact you and guide you on how to move on.
Celebrate The Small Wins
Some days, even just getting out of bed is a win. Don't be too hard on yourself because you're not where you want to be just yet.
Celebrate making a coffee, celebrate switching out of your pj's, and celebrate picking up the phone. Each little thing is getting you closer.
Make Peace With The Past
The more you hold onto the past, the more it affects your future. It's natural to feel angry at the situations and at the people who hurt you, but anger keeps you tied up.
In forgiveness, there is freedom and space to actually move on. Even if you don't think they deserve it, remember that you're doing it for yourself.
Silence That Little Critical Voice
You know that you can often be your own worst enemy. You close doors on yourself because the risk seems too high and you don't believe you're good enough.
Put in a conscious effort to turn every critique into a positive thought. Every time you hear a voice saying you can't do it, tell it that you'd rather at least try.
Don't Live In A Fantasy
Stop daydreaming about what might have been. Yes, maybe your ex could have changed if you waited longer, and maybe if you said something different to your boss they would have promoted you.
Instead of fantasizing, think of why those things needed to happen and what you can learn from them so they don't happen again. Often, the fantasy you build is far from reality.
Accept How You Feel, It's Validated
You're allowed to want to scream and punch a wall sometimes, and you're allowed to want to cry for three days straight. This doesn't mean you're not moving on.
Everything you feel is validated. This means that you're accepting it and feeling it out so that you can process it and heal from it.
Practice The Things You Love
Continue to do the things you love. When you feel down, it doesn't mean that the world stopped revolving. Life goes on with or without you, so you might as well join in.
Release some endorphins by practicing your hobbies. You might even trick your body and end up feeling better.
Time Heals All Wounds, Congratulate Yourself
2020 left us with a lot of bruises. We lost contact with people who are dear to us, we missed out on experiences we longed for, some of us lost our breadmaking money, and some of us even lost our health.
We're stronger for having made it to the end of the year, and with 2021 comes hope and a new beginning for a better future.
Why Is It So Important To Leave The Past Behind You?
It's important to leave the past behind, no matter how hard that may be.
The changing of a year is a good time to do that, but it's something that many of us work on for our whole lives.
You Can't Change The Past
The past has happened, and nothing you can do is going to change that.
The sooner you can move toward letting that go, the healthier and happier you will be.
Regrets Aren't Going To Get You Anywhere
Having regrets about the past isn't going to help you get anywhere.
Yes, it would be best if you learned about your mistakes, the past has a lot to teach us, but that does not define us.
You Can't Move Foward Looking Backwards
To move forward, you have to look forward. It's as simple as that.
You're not allowing yourself to look forward if you're focusing on the past entirely. Learn what needs to be learned, and then stop dwelling on it.
What's Coming Will Be Better
The things that are coming into your life will be so much better than the things you're leaving behind you.
Have faith that good things are coming, and that will make leaving the past behind even easier.
You Need To Make Room For Better Memories
Hold onto the good memories in your life and let go of the bad ones.
You're going to make so many new, better memories that are going to make those bad ones seem so far away.
Living In The Past Is Procrastination
Living in the past is a form of procrastination. You're not letting yourself find make strides in your life.
By focusing on the past, you're shutting out possible opportunities and relationships by simply not seeing them.
You Are Better Than What's Happened To You
We are not the things that have happened to us. Not the good or the bad.
We are what we make ourselves, and our past doesn't dictate that.
You Owe It To Yourself
You owe it to yourself to live your best life possible.
It's fine to want to hold on to the things in your life that have made you happy, but what purpose does holding onto the bad things really serve?
There Are New Things Waiting For You
Life is long, and there are so many new things waiting for you.
You will experience things in life that will create the kind of memories that you want to hold onto.
