This holiday season is far different from any other we’ve had before. There is no question about that. Last year around this time, we were celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with hope for what 2020 would bring to us. Now here we are at the end of the year, and there is a lot of reflecting going on about these past 11 months, how things have changed, what we expected vs what actually happened…
For many of us, we are dealing with the holiday season along with the end of a semester that was unlike any other semester of school anyone has dealt with. Virtual classes, classmates being far away, for international students, time zone differences that are likely not ideal for them. For in-person classes, we see fewer people, can interact less, are wearing our masks, and have to speak to people through a video call. No one could have ever expected something like this to happen.
Some people rely on in-person interactions in their lives to keep their mental health in check, some people rely on seeing their families constantly to keep themselves happy, to help take care of them, etc. Elderly people are more likely to see their family members even less. It can be extremely painful and frustrating to know that you can’t see someone so important to you.
After months and months now of disappointment and despair, I want to encourage myself and you, the reader of this article to take a deep breath right now. Our situations could look the same, or we could be dealing with different frustrations in different ways. Whatever the case may be I want us to all reflect on this past year and to realize that our world indeed is changed forever, but that this situation was not meant to break us, our mental health, or our relationships. The tragedy that is Covid-19 is something we have to adapt to and learn from. We all have to work together to overcome this, as hard as it can be. Celebrating this season is going to look different, whether you’re having a get together (following guidelines) or whether you’re celebrating virtually, or whether you’d rather not celebrate at all. How we deal with life right now will determine how we have to deal with it later. This season, find what makes you happy again, talk to people that make you feel at peace, express yourself by art, by music, by writing, whatever form you feel best doing. The restrictions on our lives don’t have to stop us from being happy, and they don’t have to stop us from connecting with people that we love and care for. Just always remember to take care of yourself and the people around you, and we can make it through the 2020 holiday season!