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How I Kept Loving Myself Through 2020

5 Easy Tips

By Derek EversPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
Top Story - December 2020
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How I Kept Loving Myself Through 2020
Photo by Milan Popovic on Unsplash

In the midst of the global pandemic, losing my older brother, battling new health problems, losing my job, and trying to figure out how to help myself - I've kind of lost my mind.

I keep wanting this to be my year, the year where I figure out my life and as every month starts I think, "This is my time, everything is going to change." And then it doesn't and I go back to struggling to keep myself sane while the world around me burns.

Don't get me wrong, I know I'm living a very privileged life and have plenty of things to be thankful for, but this is just how I've always felt - like I should be more than I already am. Can anyone relate?

While this year has been a rollercoaster of emotions (more so than usual), it's also been a very eye opening year. Through all of the craziness I've experienced, I learned a lot about how to love my life and self even when I feel like I shouldn't; and I'd like to share how with all of you. So, here's how I've kept loving myself through the insanity of 2020:

Gratitude

If you've read almost anything I've posted recently, then you'll know I'm a HUGE fan of practicing gratitude. And for good reason, too! Gratitude helps to keep me grounded when I'm feeling down and out about the world. It puts into perspective the things I already have and reminds me that I'm already whole, even if I'm not a superstar writer... Yet.

Just think of minimum three things everyday that you're grateful to have in your life - you can write them down, say them to yourself, or just think about them. It's that easy!

Exercise Consistently

Exercise consistently. I know, you hate to hear it, but it's really true! Exercise has been a big part of my entire life but even more so this past year. I'm a runner so when I get to go outside first thing in the morning and breathe the fresh, crisp air, I'm able to let everything else fade away. And it feels great to finish a workout and know that I already accomplished something today.

If you're already an exercise junky like I am, then I suggest setting new fitness goals! I've been a runner for about 10 years but I've neglected any kind of resistance training which caused me to develop what I call "Noodle Arm Syndrome". So now I've set new fitness goals to finally start developing my upper body and overall strength and it feels awesome to try something new! I workout at home with a resistance band set I bought off of Amazon which I will link here.

Meditation & Yoga

Meditation and yoga - similar but different practices. Both involve deep breathing, but meditation requires you to be stationary for a period of time while yoga will get your body moving and feeling all loosey goosey. Practicing both of these at least a few times a week has been really helpful in keeping my anxiety and depression to a minimum. I love to meditate because you begin to notice sensations within your body or sounds around you that otherwise you might block out.

Typically I'll practice yoga at the end of the week because it is a really fun way to move my body after a week of stress and working out. There's so many different kinds of yoga out there and while it's exciting to browse through, it can be a little overwhelming. I watch Yoga With Adriene on YouTube for some amazing (and free) yoga routines. I love her videos because she really encourages you to show up for, and take of yourself - it's a helpful reminder.

Here's a yoga practice I did recently:

Virtual Hangouts

This shouldn't be a surprise this far into the pandemic, but virtual hangouts have been extremely important this year! Of course you could just text your friends/family, but it's nice to see familiar faces or hear friendly voices when you're stuck at home. I mostly facetime my friends but you could also use Discord to have more friends hang out all at once.

Thinking of people as just being one call away rather than miles away has really made things feel less daunting. Being able to talk with friends and family has saved me from throwing myself into the void, and helped keep my head on straight!

Get Uncomfortable With Your Creative Self

At first this section was going to be about just writing, and then I added music, then dancing, then drawing; then I realized that I've used so many different creative mediums to cope with the insanity of this year that there's no way I could single one out as the most helpful.

Although I've taken part in all of these mediums, writing is the one I share with the world most often (for good reason; you don't want to hear me sing) because it's the best way for me to communicate my feelings and relate to other people. But I practice other mediums from time to time because they make me feel uncomfortable and different - which, just like calcium, is important for growing.

Creative expression allows me to set aside time to reflect and examine myself, my past, and my present and release any doubts to reassure myself that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

That's the five things I've been doing to keep loving myself this year! Do you do any of these? Is there anything you would add or take away?

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!

If you enjoyed what you read, then please share, leave a like or a tip, or check out some of my other writing by clicking on my profile icon. Thank you for your support, I truly appreciate it!

self help
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About the Creator

Derek Evers

Hello! I'm Derek, a writer based in Portland, OR. Author of short stories, poetry, and blog posts about the things that interest me. Be kind to yourself and others, always.

IG: deverswriting

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