Here's a fun fact: January was named after the Roman god, Janus, whose two faces allowed him to look into the past and future.
Looking back, the challenges we faced in 2020 were difficult - atypically. Unlike a normal difficulty (say, an essay or huge work project), the difficulties we faced in 2020 introduced a chronic strain on our minds, bodies, and emotions.
Chronic stress is unique because, after some time, we normalize it. In order to carry the stress, we suppress the intense emotions that it introduced. In other words, we stop calling it stress.
(Haha yeah, the pandemic, what else is new?)
Rather unsurprisingly, silencing our emotions is counterproductive. All emotions need to be expressed, interpreted, and processed - especially when it's difficult.
Processing and releasing our stored energy moves us to resiliency. It is possible to be antifragile. In other words, it is possible to GROW from difficulty. But you have to do the work. Moving towards resiliency requires intention.
There is no substitute for professional help. Please go to a professional if you want or need help discharging your energy. That said, one tool that we found useful for you to use at home is YearCompass - a free booklet designed to help you reflect and plan. (By the way, we aren't sponsored or affiliated with YearCompass, we just want to share. That's how great we find the booklet!)
To download your YearCompass, just check out this link: https://yearcompass.com/en/
We hope you find the book as useful as we did. With love and wishes for the new year, your team at Zone.