The Tribune

WE’RE coming to the end of the confusing period between December 25 and January 1. During this time, a lot of people don’t seem to know what day it is or what is going on. From bed to shower to breakfast to bed to couch to lunch, time moves whether we mark it or not. It feels like the busyness of the year catches up with us during this time and we are forced to feel the listlessness and lack of motivation we have to ignore or push through when there seems to be no good reason to pause. For once, in December, some of us get to just drift.

Some people try to turn this period into one of hyper-awareness and hyper-activity, unable to fathom the idea of taking a break, even during a particularly slow period. They say it’s a great time for all kinds of activities, usually centering the demands of the capitalist system — the source of the compulsion to work, work, work. While, for some, it is a good time to catch up on things or try to get ahead for the new calendar, it is also okay to take a break. We should not have to be productive every single day, and we don’t need to feel guilty for taking time to do things we enjoy or to simply do nothing at all. For many of us, there is no other opportunity to take it easy. There are some, of course, who don’t have the same experience of this period, still showing up for work every day.

It’s important for us to realise that the events of 2020 are not in a box that gets sealed up at midnight on Friday. The challenges of this year will not cease to exist. COVID-19 will still be a part of our reality, affecting every part of our lives. This will not change before vaccines are widely available. As the restrictions imposed under the emergency orders seem to loosen up more and more, it is easy to think the crisis is coming to an end, but things can change quickly. It is better to be prepared for the ups and downs that may come than to make plans for a return to a version of the world that no longer exists.

Whether you are leaning in to the unstructured nature of this week or focused on keeping busy and checking items off your to-do list, it’s a good idea to spend some time reflecting on this year in ways that help to make the lessons you’ve learned clear and apply it to the perspective and behaviour you’re developing for 2021. Perhaps, instead of tasking ourselves with lists of goals that would be difficult to attain, even under “normal” circumstances, we should focus on what would help us to get through 2021, given what we know about the way we handled 2020.

New year’s resolutions often include an item focused on weight loss, fitness, or healthy eating. By now, most of us know that goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. Rather than a general “lose weight”, it’s important to ensure that goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. It takes time and focus to set these kinds of goals, and it’s even more work and dedication to work toward and achieve them. This year, achievable and realistic feels particularly relative. Who knows what 2021 is going to be like? Even if you still set goals, you may want to take note of the reasons for those goals. It’s sometimes more important to acknowledge what you are trying to get away from or avoid. Do you need to break a habit or put systems in place to help you to take a particular course of action? Identify the conditions and systems that need to exist in order for you to to modify your behaviour.

There is, for example, a lot of talk about quarantine weight gain. There are many reasons that people gained weight this year, from spending unusual amounts of time inside and restrictions on exercise time to having very few meal options, whether due to availability of food or time to prepare it. There are also the effects of mental health challenges, medication, and chronic illness. Instead of focusing on weight loss, it could be useful to think about what you’d like to do differently. Would meal planning and weekly meal preparation help you prepare balanced meals? Do you need to talk to your doctor about the side effects of prescription medication? Would hanging athletic wear over the bathroom door give you the nudge to get dressed and get 30 minutes of movement in before you start working? Think about what didn’t work this year and what got in the way, then plan for different outcomes. Shifting the focus from a big high-pressure idea to actionable items that centre how you’re feeling and what is possible for you can reduce stress and allow you to celebrate daily wins.

Did you read fewer books than you wanted to this year? Setting a goal to read 100 books in 2021 may not be the best idea if you got through five this year. Very little of what rocked our worlds in 2020 has changed, so we can assume the circumstances will be similar. What is in your power to change for 2021? Maybe it’s the year you’ll admit that listening to audiobooks is a perfectly acceptable way to read books. You can play them while you cook, clean, drive, run, or get ready for bed. When you figure out what kept you from reading, you can start to make changes to address it and increase your opportunities (and use of those opportunities) to read.

Instead of getting caught up in the annual rush to make an impressive list of resolutions for 2021, give yourself the time and space to reflect on 2020. Figure out how to respond to challenges you know, from the experience of 2020, will come up in 2021. If goals work for you, great, but if they’re overwhelming right now, you can focus on the small adjustments you can make to build a better year. That could be a cleaning schedule, deciding on a walking route, finding a meal prep app, starting therapy, waking up earlier or later, setting boundaries, or asking for support in specific areas. Remember that you’re doing this for you; not for your social media audience. It doesn’t have to be impressive to anyone. Make sure what you’re doing is beneficial to you.

For your entertainment

1. Soul. What makes you who you are? What is your spark? That is the question this Pixar animated film poses as it follows music teacher and lover of jazz Joe Gardner. Gardner finally gets his big break as a jazz musician, courtesy of a former student, when he finds himself on the way to the “Great Beyond.” Unwilling to die and miss out on his moment, he does everything he can to get back to his body on earth. When he is assigned a soul to mentor, helping it to find its spark so it can get a body on earth, he learns a bit about life just by having a different perspective. The voice cast includes Jamie Foxx, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. It’s a great movie to watch with the family and to get you thinking about what your spark might be.

2. Wonder Woman 1984. I haven’t watched this one yet, and the reviews have been terrible. No one seems to like much about this movie. It seems like a good one to put on while you’re doing something else like cooking or working on a puzzle. It also seems to be a good choice for people who like watching terrible movies and television shows because they make good fodder for conversation.

3. Jingle Jangle. This musical is a good choice for family viewing. The first half is a bit slow, but the second half makes up for it. While predictable, it’s a nice break from real life and the usual drama-filled televisions shows and movies. Jingle Jangle has themes of imagination, determination, integrity, and family. The cast includes Phylicia Rashad, Forest Whitaker, Madalen Mills, and Keegan-Michael Key.

4. Music. DJ Ampero created a mix for Equality Bahamas’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign, and it’s perfect for relaxing evenings at home. Play it while admiring your tree, making a cup of hot chocolate, or enjoying a few minutes of aromatherapy with your favourite candles or bath salts. Find it at tiny. cc/16daysmix.