Last year was one change for many. Shifts to remote work and school shook up countless routines. Quarantines left many scrambling to piece together an isolated lifestyle on the homefront. Despite the unpleasant circumstances, many took advantage of these forced adjustments to innovate, transform, and otherwise create positive change in their lives.
With 2021 just getting going and no end to pandemic restrictions reasonably in sight, it falls to you to keep that positive momentum going. Here are a few ideas for ways that you can continue to enact positive life changes even as we enter year two of the coronavirus pandemic.
Re-evaluate the Basics
This far into the pandemic, it’s easy to let basic mental and physical care slide. Even if you originally had a ton of motivation to address these things during quarantine, trying to stay focused and on track for six months, nine months, or even a year can be difficult. Start your efforts by reevaluating how well you’re caring for the basics, including:
- Eating: It’s easy to let your food choices slip as you spend weeks and months cooped up in your living space. Review what options you’re choosing each time you head to the grocery store for a food pickup or raid the pantry for a snack.
- Sleeping: Quarantine also makes it far too easy to stay up late playing games or binge-watching television. This can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health over time. No matter how old you are, everyone should try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. This should be high-quality, undisturbed sleep, too.
- Exercising: Consistent exercise is one of the best ways to stay healthy and fit. That said, it’s easy to skimp on your fitness goals when you aren’t even leaving the house. Take stock of your current exercise regimen and make sure that you’re regularly fitting consistent activity into your schedule.
There are countless nuanced or dramatic ways to spark positive change in your life. However, the most important place to start is by keeping your body, mind, and emotions in top-notch condition.
Initiate a Style Upgrade
Another area that can spark positive reverberations is upgrading your style and appearance. This is easy to write off as unnecessary when you’re spending all of your time in quarantine. However, video chats still require respectable garb, and sooner or later you’re going to start engaging in out-of-the-house activities again. When that happens, you want to be able to put your best foot forward.
Review your current wardrobe and accouterments and look for areas where you can use a fresh infusion in your style. This can be anything from a trendy laptop bag to a vibrant pair of jeans or even a stylish new pair of glasses. The best part is, you can even try new frames on from the comfort of your own home to make sure they fit your style.
Brush Up On Your Finances
It’s tempting to simply brush your financial concerns under the rug — especially during an economic crisis. If you want to enact serious positive change in your life this year, though, it’s wise to tackle your finances head-on.
This can be something as simple as finally setting up a budget or updating an old one. It can also consist of more specific activities, like preparing for the future by building up an emergency fund or figuring out how to line up upcoming student loans when you have bad credit — a cosigner may sometimes be necessary.
Regardless of the specifics, it’s worth investing in strengthening your financial literacy and security now so that you can hit the ground running once everything returns to a sense of normalcy.
Consider Working Toward a Professional Pivot
Whether you’ve been working in an essential job, laboring away as a remote worker, or fretting away on unemployment, there’s a good chance that you’ve had to rethink your professional career this year.
Now that the dust has settled a bit and the future is starting to come into focus, you may want to consider if it’s time to make a more drastic career change during this naturally disruptive time. A few considerations to keep in mind as you reevaluate your current employment include:
- Finding a job with a better employer.
- Going back to school — now is a great time to upgrade your education while working remotely.
- Getting a job with higher pay, opportunities for promotions, or better benefits.
- Lining up your passions with your career.
- Pivoting into a new industry altogether.
Life doesn’t provide too many crystal clear crossroads. The pandemic has been one of these for most people. Don’t lose the opportunity to seriously consider if your life can be changed for the better by making a change now, while things are so uncertain.
Cultivating Positivity in Times of Negativity
Many areas of life were seriously impacted throughout the past year — and not in a good way either. While the pandemic may have negatively affected most lives, though, it’s never too late to embrace a “cup half full” mentality.
As 2021 ramps up, use the natural change in the calendar to refocus and start making positive changes in your own life. Consider the areas that you’ve let slide over the last year and then focus on one change at a time.
As you begin to regain some momentum, you’ll find that the positivity will spread throughout all of your life, helping you stay upbeat and forward-thinking even as the world grapples with one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our generation.