I know that sometimes the metaphorical sh*t hits the fan. I also know that life has a habit of happening everywhere, all the time. Particularly when least convenient for us mere mortals to deal with it.
2019 was no exception. In fact, it was a year's worth of being 'one of those weeks' when you finally sit back on Sunday and reflect. Somehow it always gets to Sunday when you least expect it.
There isn't anything specifically wrong with Sundays, bar the fact that they are geared towards giving us thinking time. Sometimes we have such traumatic, intense years and experiences that we don't really bear thinking about them.
This is one such example. But the interesting thing? I know I'm not alone
Raise your hand if you had a rotten 2019. Granted, there were loads of highs, but those lows were pretty killer, weren't they. Even non-personally, it's been a bit of a year for the people in charge of this stupid green thing we call earth.
That's fine. What I'm here to talk about today is how to let go of these unavoidably, inevitably poor experiences in life and move on from them. Dare-I-say, even learn a thing or two at the same time.
The worst thing is disappointment. That's a really difficult emotion to stomach. Particularly with the high standards, we put on ourselves regarding relationships, work, or fitness/body image-wise, it's the bitterest pill to swallow to fall short.
But time marches on whether or not you pass or fail your driving test, or get into university or not. It may seem like it's the end of the world every time we come across an obstacle that just seems simply too incomprehensible to deal with.
But we do
And even if we don't seem to triumph the way we expect, it passes.
That's one thing you can do when faced with disappointment and memories from 2019 that you can't seem to extract yourself from.
Transform them into a way of learning, and look your mistakes in the eye so that you don't make them again. If dating a narcissist turns out to be a spectacularly poor decision that ends up breaking your heart, don't do it again in 2020!
Yes, we may be embarrassed or feel ridiculous looking back on our past selves, but we did those things for a reason, we had good times on occasion, but ultimately things didn't work out.
It's not necessarily our fault, nor are we blameless for 2019's problems. But we can use them as a jumping-off point to start growing as people as we age into the new decade.
Let The Toxic People Go
2019 may have taught us the harsh lessons about just how difficult they are and how stupid people can be, but 2020 can be when we put those lessons into action.
Transform mistakes into opportunities to move on without ignoring the underlying issues. The drama of the past can be left behind as long as you know that the future holds bright things for you.
Because It Does, Undoubtedly
For sure, 2019 is not a year that you would choose to do again, and while you can reflect that there are some things you would do differently, don't linger on that. You made the decisions you made and they made enough sense at the time.
Just because we've changed to recognise that isn't bad. We shouldn't punish ourselves for growth!
Another way to let 2019 go is to think positively about the future. Not only thinking of remaining open to new experiences but also avoid to linger on past mistakes.
Try out a new hobby, or finally finish that TV show you loved as a teenager.
Check With Yourself And Your Own Needs And Desires
You may find that they've shifted in the time since you last gave yourself a breather.
It's okay to want different things from 2020 based on your experiences of 2019, but make sure you can put them into action by leaving 2019 in the past where it belongs!
