The Dumpster Fire of 2020.

Life is hard. 2020 has been a flood inside a train wreck inside a dumpster fire. There has been a worldwide pandemic that has killed over 260,000 Americans and over a million deaths worldwide to date. There has been racial injustice and racism that has reared its ugly head in America. There have been wildfires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes across North America. There have been deaths of innocent black and brown people at the hands of police. There have been people screaming at store owners for not letting them shop because they weren’t wearing a mask. Unemployment has been sky high and the number of people who are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity is staggering. People have lost loved ones without the ability to be by there hospital bed in the final hours. Divorce rates are high. Small businesses are closing at alarming rates. There have been peaceful protests that have led to riots, police tear-gassing, looting and buildings on fire. Currently as I write this, there is a second lockdown in parts of the west coast while our current administration is hosting rallies without social distancing or masks on the east coast.

The struggle is real. The injustice is real. The lack of unity is real. And to pretend that there isn’t a struggle is not going to take away the pain and the hurt and the anger and the injustice and the inequality and…and…and….

So what do we do with all of this?

I have found that tackling it head on can be very effective. Acknowledge it. Feel it. Process the emotions around it. Lean in to it. See what you can learn from it. See what you can change. Ask for support and help amongst it. Take care of yourself through it. Stand up and use your voice.

Ignoring it and pushing it away may work temporarily but not in the long term. The great Brene Brown says that you can not selectively suppress emotion. I completely agree with this statement. If you are pushing down the anger and the sadness and the fear and the frustration, you are also blocking joy, happiness, relief and gratitude. If you are trying to fake happiness, you are also faking that you aren’t mad. Feel your feeling. Process them. Talk with your therapist or coach to understand them and gain tools to work with them.

Tools that have worked for me to process my emotions and pain? Working out, connecting with people via zoom or Marco Polo or text or Facetime, journaling, meditating, writing, creating a gratitude list, going to my acupuncturist and chiropractor, doing a puzzle, talking with my coach, supporting others, cutting back/eliminating alcohol and eating really awesome and healthy meals.

So I ask you- what are you doing to be your best self through this? 2020 is not all bad, although the media and social media and that guy that walks around in my neighborhood yelling want you to think that this is all the worst. There are some good things to come from 2020 and I encourage you (speaking to myself here, too) to think of all the things that did go well this year. Write a list. Share with a loved one. Put it on your social media to have some positivity for the daily scroll. When you focus on what you are grateful for, it is much more difficult to be angry.

What are you grateful for in 2020?