How To Reflect On The Past Year In A Healthy Way

Guest Post| Today the lovely Jenny from Jenny In Neverland has written this post on How To Reflect On The Past Year In A Healthy Way. Make sure to give her a follow on her blog, and Pinterest! Her latest 10 Wellness Hacks That Will Change Your Life is a great read.

So, the last year has sucked, hasn’t it? 2020 (and the beginning of 2021) has been a time in history nobody will forget. It’s been an experience none of us thought we’d see happen, let alone live through. But alas, here we are.

A global pandemic is a pretty serious thing and it would have shaped and affected all of us in some way or another. Whether that’s in your health, work, personal life or something else, each and every one of us will have a story to tell about the COVID-19 pandemic.

So it’s going to be no surprise that once this damn thing starts to “fizzle out” (like, I have no other way of describing that?) and the world does start to return to it’s pre-pandemic state, a lot of us are going to feeling…

a bit odd. 

How do we just go back to normal after this? 

Well there’s a chance that things might never be pre-pandemic normal again and that’s certainly something we’re all going to have to learn to accept. 

But in the meantime, reflection can be a great way of handling this situation so here are some tips for reflecting on the last year in a healthy way:

Write a forgiveness list

Let’s get the hard one out of the way first because writing a forgiveness list can definitely feel difficult and draining and might make you completely mentally exhausted. But I’ve found them to be excellent ways of processing negative thoughts, emotions and energy.

And I think it’s safe to say we’ve all felt a bit negative over the last year at some point or another.

So with a forgiveness list, you’ll want to be super kind to yourself. Perhaps make yourself your favourite hot drink, curl up in a cozy blanket or take yourself to a safe space before you start this exercise.

Then you’ll basically want to write down everything and everyone you forgive over the past year.

INCLUDING YOURSELF.

You might find really specific things coming up, such as “I forgive the lady who was rude to me in the shop last week” or something a bit more general, such as “I forgive myself for feeling like I haven’t achieved anything over the last year” (more on this later).

But what’s important is that you’re honest with yourself and you don’t hold back from what comes out. 

Your list can be as long or as short as you’d like and when you’re done with it, I’d recommend releasing it in a way that feels good for you. My favourite thing to do during releasing ceremonies is to burn the paper (but make sure you do it safely!)

Write a gratitude list

Can you tell I like lists? 

I’m a big fan of gratitude lists and expressing gratitude every single day. It really has changed my life.

But over the last year, gratitude has been more important than EVER.

Reflecting on the past year doesn’t always have to mean looking at the negatives because focusing on the positives is just as important.

That’s where a gratitude list will be really helpful!

Again, this can be as long or short as you like but just don’t hold back and really feel the gratitude of the things that you’re writing in your chest. 

Anyone or anything that made this year that tiny bit better for you – whack it on the list!

Light a candle, say a prayer or have a moment of quiet

This is for all the people that might not have been so lucky. For those who have lost someone they loved, who lost their jobs, who struggled with their mental health. And particularly for the 2.76 million people (at the time of writing) who lost their lives.

Reflection isn’t just for us as individuals. It’s about the collective.

So spending a little bit of time and a little bit of your energy to send some loving thoughts, prayers, energy (or whatever you believe) to those who need it is time and energy well spent. 

Know that whatever you did, was okay

I think this is a point a lot of people will be able to relate to, especially after the influx of “use this time to start a business / start a new hobby / get all house re-decorated” etc blog posts and tweets we saw during the first lockdown in March 2020.

If you did manage to start a business, start a blog, learn an instrument or a new language or whatever during the pandemic, then amazing. 

But if you didn’t, that’s fine too.

However you got through this last year is okay. Whatever you did, was okay. I urge you not to let people online make you feel like you failed.

Like for crying out loud, how can you fail at living through a global pandemic?

So know that whatever you did during this last year was okay.

Celebrate 

Eyy now we’re onto the good stuff.

Has this year been crap? Yes.

But the fact that you survived a global pandemic is a cause for celebration. In my opinion. 

Take some time to do something for yourself. Celebrate in a way that feels good for you. That might be having a full pamper day, cooking yourself your favourite meal, staying in bed and watching your favourite show all day, going for a run in the woods, baking a cake – whatever!

Just do something to signify the fact that you made it. You’re here. And it was hard.

Seek help if you need it

And finally, the last way to reflect on this last year in a healthy way is to seek help if you need it.

There’s never any shame or embarrassment for seeking help for any sort of mental illness and a global pandemic is likely to have made people need some additional help.

Chat with your GP, call a mental health helpline, talk to a friend – do whatever you gotta do.

These are just a few ways to reflect on the past year in a healthy way and of course there are many more things you can do to help you come to terms with the past year. 

And if you just want to put it behind you and forget it ever happened, that’s fine too!

But if you do feel like you need that space to gain some closure on the past year, I hope these tips will help you do that.

If you enjoyed this check out 8 Great Habits To Start In 2021 ( Life Changing Habits)