2020 was a great year for me and I bet it was a great year for some people too. I was really ecstatic at the beginning of the year. At Church, the pastor kept saying 2020 was a year of double portion and I believed that 2020 was going to be really great. As you already know, I am a student in the university and few days into the new year, the university I attend resumed and I went to school. School was fun, I enjoyed the lectures and everything was fine. I went to school in January, wrote my 1st semester exam in March. I was given two weeks break after my exam and I went home for the break. Keep reading my 2020 review!
Table of Contents
Part 1 – Quarantine
Staying home was fun! I was happy to see my family members again, I was happy to be home. The 2 weeks went by so fast and by the time I knew it, it was time for me to go back to school. I prepared to go back to school and on the day I was to leave for school, I got the information that the school was closed due to the pandemic and so all students were to stay at home.
I stayed at home thinking everything will be just fine and the pandemic will be over in a few days but the pandemic kept spreading. The number of infected cases/people kept rising and soon after the government declared the lockdown. Now this is where things took a turn for the worse. Things went from busy streets to completely isolated streets.
No one knew what 2020 had in store. If we knew what 2020 had in store for us, some would have rather preferred to skip the year 2020 which is something we can’t do lol but 2020 came with life lessons that hadn’t been learnt in the whole of my life and so I am thankful for the fact that I learnt those lessons.
Continue reading part 1
I stayed home doing almost nothing from March to May/June. During the quarantine, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere so I subconsciously developed this quarantine routine where all I basically did was sleep, wake up, do the house chores, eat, have my bath, read for a bit, surf the internet and repeat. Then one day in May/June still during the quarantine (I can’t really remember the exact month), I received a mail from one of my lecturers that stated that we would start having our lectures online.
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I was excited knowing that lectures where gonna commence again and I was also excited about the fact that we were gonna have our lectures online. Before then, I had never had online lectures so I didn’t really know how they looked like. Fast-forward to few days after I got the mail that stated that we were going to commence online lectures soon.
Few days after I got the mail from my lecturer, we started our online lectures (Now taking lectures was added to my subconscious quarantine routine) and I found that taking courses online especially science related courses (I am a science student) wasn’t as easy as I thought. Online lectures require way more focus, devotion and commitment than normal lectures require but I made up my mind to do well regardless.
Photo by Denise Karis on Unsplash
Part 2 – The struggle with my mental health
There is this feeling that develops when you stay home all day for days on end quarantining and it’s not a good feeling. I don’t know if it’s just me. I don’t know if I am the only one that feels this way but staying home all day for days on end, and just quarantining make your mind start to wander. The inner critic wakes up, negativity comes in and different thoughts start to find their way into your mind.
This year really had a toll on my mental health. I fought some mental health battles this year. Normally, I am always this carefree, loud, outgoing, confident and bold 18 year old but this year, I found myself being less confident. There were times I didn’t feel good about myself, there were times I felt so timid. Comparing myself to others is something I never do but there were times I compared myself to others. I am a very social person, I love interacting and talking to people but I came out of quarantine and I found it super hard to socialize.
I am a strong girl and I know it because my life has never been easy. So many times, I have been insulted by people who are close to me. I have been compared to others and all but somehow, I always ended up being confident, outgoing and at the top of my game but quarantining made things super difficult.
Continue reading part 2
During the quarantine, there were times I did everything I could to shut my mind up and silence the inner critic. I always feel like I am good enough, worth it and all. But there were times where I was dragged in dark places and at some point, I felt like I wasn’t good enough. Before the quarantine, I had never felt like I wasn’t good enough but there’s a first time to everything right?
I am so much of a never give up person, I can be super resilient. Yes, I faced my battles head on, I was determined to overcome whatever I was facing and I am more than excited to say that I made good progress! Issues regarding mental health are not easy to deal with. Overcoming mental health issues go way beyond the little list some people give.
When you ask people or check the internet on how to overcome some mental health issues, you hear/see things like develop a positive mindset, exercise, say positive things to yourself and all.. No doubt these things work but most times they are portrayed to be super easy. They are not easy at all. I am not trying to scare you but that’s the reality.
Part 3 – I turned 18!
I turned 18 this year. Honestly, I was super excited for my big 18 even before my birthday came. I mean I was going to be an adult lol. Ever since the beginning of this year, I had been talking about my big 18th birthday. I was really excited for my 18th but when the day finally came and I clocked 18, we were on lockdown. I wasn’t able to throw a party, go out or even have people come over. Tbh, I was very determined to have a blast on my 18th birthday but quarantine huh…
Lockdown and quarantine ruined my plans but in all I am happy. While I’ll never be able to celebrate my 18th birthday again, I’ll be able to celebrate my other birthdays even the ones that are bigger than the big 18! Even though I wasn’t able to do all the big things, I enjoyed my birthday and I am super happy about that. Birthdays come once every year and so I made sure to have fun and enjoy regardless of lockdown and quarantine.
Keep reading: 2020 review
Part 4 – Everything in between
This year made me list my priorities, decide on what’s important and worth my time. And it also helped me do away with the unimportant things. The list of lessons 2020 taught me is endless and I know everyone learnt tons of lessons from 2020. I am more than grateful for everything, lessons learnt, hardships endured, quarantine and everything in general.
On the 25th of November this year, I created this blog. I wanted a medium through which I could write, inspire and motivate people. Another reason I created this blog is to make it my little corner of the internet where I can share anything and everything and honestly, I have been loving it!
I lost a friend this year, I lost someone I used to talk to. He wasn’t my closest friend but he was my friend. I still have our chats on my laptop. I couldn’t sleep the day I heard he passed. People die everyday but it hits harder and hurts differently when it’s someone you know. Knowing that someone I knew very well died made me thankful for being able to sleep and wakeup everyday.
Continue reading part 4
Most times, we do not realize what a great privilege it is to be alive and well. Losing a friend made me realize that life is a gift, it is important to make good use of that gift. And it is important to make every day count as you never know, it might be your last. He was a 20 something year old who was always vibrant and full of life. I learnt to value everybody in my life.
Life can be really strange. Someone is here today, so happy and all and tomorrow or a few moments later, they are no more. I reread our chats after I got the news that he passed and his death felt so unreal. He was such a fun and goofy person. When I heard the news, I couldn’t believe he was gone and right now, I still can’t believe he is gone.
For me, 2020 is a year to remember. It taught me a lot of lessons which I would be forever grateful for. I had very few but important goals at the beginning of this year. I didn’t achieve all my goals but I am glad I was able to achieve some of them. 2020 was not very pleasant but it did open our eyes to a lot. And everyone learnt a thing or two from 2020.
I absolutely love this post. A bad mental health is such a tough thing to handle. This post is awesome, well done for speaking out about it! X
Lovely post! I'm sorry to hear about your friend, this year has been hard for everyone in so many different ways so well done for sharing your experiences!
Tash – A Girl with a View
This post is lovely! So produ of you trying to overcome your negative emotions, as well as being able to write about them so openly. Sorry about your losses this year, and hoping for a great New Year for you!
Becky | Uptown Oracle | The Blogger Group
Thank you so much Becky! It is not easy to overcome negative emotions but I am glad I scaled through. I am thankful for this year, all the lessons and everything that came with it and I'm happy we made it through. x!
Great post! 2020 was tough,but I wouldn't skip it either. It's great that you were able to find some good things in it! I definitely agree that online classes were harder and less enjoyable. I was a science student as well (for 2 degrees) and loved all the labs etc. Thank you for sharing,and I hope 2021 treats you well!
Love this! I loved 2020. It really help me change my bad habits and reset my good ones. I was able to slow down and think about my goals. Love 6) "allow yourself to feel your feelings". When life is going so fast, it's easy to disregard your feelings! Here's to 2021!
Yes Clarisa! 2020 was tough but there were amazing moments too and the online classes haha, I think they suck lol. x!
I loved 2020 too and allowing yourself to feel your feelings is very crucial. A lot of people say 2020 was a terrible year but I don't feel that way! 2020 was hell of a great year packed with so many lifelong lessons and 2020 definitely helped me slow down, prioritize the important things and do away with the unimportant. Cheers! x!
These are great lessons. I have been the kind of person that's always on the go. If I'm struggling with my mental health, I simply push myself to do more and hide it. I know, looking back, that's not a healthy response. With everything being cancelled in 2020, suddenly I was forced to confront that and deal with my emotions at home. I had to spend time at home with myself, my feelings and my struggles… That's definitely a BIG lesson that I have learned over the course of the year.
I think there has been at least one time when we've all tried to hide our feelings and emotions but like you said, that's not a great way to deal with our feelings. I believe in facing my struggles head on but I must admit that it can be way easier to run away from our feelings than face them and that's probably one reason why we try to hide our feelings or pretend they are not there. I am glad 2020 helped you confront and deal with your emotions. Being able to confront and deal with your emotions is a great thing! Thank you so much Britt. x!
What a great post! I think it is so important to look back at 2020 before making resolutions for 2021… Plus it is a great way to remember all of the good (in a year that was full of lots of bad). Thanks for sharing!
Jenna ♥
Stay in touch? Life of an Earth Muffin
Glad that you found joy in staying at home! It is always nice when there is a nice home situation. Totally agree – we didn't see what 2020 brought. Online lectures are harder to focus because it is easier to have distractions. It is unfortunate when people close to us insult us. I am glad that you have the strength to still be your best self! Hope 2021 will be a better year 🙂
Nancy ✨ mdrnminimalists.com
Great post Ruthie. It’s been a tough year but I think if we can move forward in to 2021 with a bit of positivity and having learnt some valuable lessons then we are winning.
I am so sorry to hear about your friend x
Lovely post! It has been such a tough year for everyone but it's lovely to read some positivity from it all!
Rosie
I'm very sorry about your friends but wow, I love your positivity and determination to get through 2020. I'm lucky that I have my husband and daughter and at the time of writing we're all well and healthy. I can't imagine how hard it must be to live alone. Here's to a better 2021 and yes, let's keep on appreciating all the little things because they really do matter. x
Hi Ruthie. Thanks so much for your patience in my getting back to you. A busy time of year to be sure. Ruthie. I love this post. I love that you write and share such raw and real content and emotion. It's all there on the page. Being alone is an art. It's also very important to learn–you now know your own inner strength and are powerful beyond mere words. To take lessons out of negative experiences shows maturity and positive attitude. ((hugs)) to you. Stay strong–I don't doubt you will.