2020 has been the year that we’ve had to press pause on life. It’s not been easy in such scary and uncertain times and who would’ve thought that a global pandemic would surface and bring everything to a standstill? Words such as lockdown, social distancing and unprecedented entered our vocabulary and wearing face masks (and not the skincare kind) became the norm. The worry and stress of the situation, combined with the economic impact and being unable to see friends, family and partners, socialise and experience normal life is having a massive negative effect on people’s mental health, myself included. It feels like we’re living in some kind of dystopian society that we’d previously only read about or watched on TV or film and I’m struggling to shake that surreal feeling.
Personally, I had quite a bit planned for this year including hopefully passing my driving test and working towards buying my first home but now, neither of these things are going to be possible anytime soon and the events of this year have made me re-evaluate things anyway. It honestly feels like I’ll never get my sh*t together but I’m grateful for the people in my life, my health and that of my loved ones, along with having somewhere nice to live and a job.
As we look towards 2021, gratitude and hope are all we have to hold onto. Things are still so uncertain and we don’t know whether there will be an end to the madness anytime soon but I’m trying to think positively. Lets also hope that appreciation for our NHS and key workers extends long into the next decade and that people actually start being kinder and less judgemental towards each other. Wishing you all a Happy New year and hopefully, a more positive 2021.
Chelsey Prentice 