2020 has been one wild rollercoaster, and I think it’s safe to say that very few of us are unscathed - and hey, we’re only 2/3 of the way through.

I don’t know about you, but… it’s getting harder to focus. I set goals, but then I don’t really feel like achieving them. I get distracted easily, sinking time into scrolling through my news feeds instead of sticking to what I’d planned to do. I’ve allowed myself far more junk food than I normally would, because I’m not able to relax with friends in the ways I’d normally like to. Many people have told me that they’re feeling the same.

Striving to feel happy all the time is not a realistic (or desirable) goal. In fact, studies show that the active pursuit of happiness can make you unhappy — the more we value happiness, the less happy we feel when in low-stress situations. In other words, the thought “my life is easy and stress-free right now — so why don’t I feel happy?” causes us to feel more disappointment at our own emotions, leading us to feel even worse.

I know you don’t WANT to feel anxious — nobody does. But if you’re beating yourself up for not being OK right now, then please take a deep breath and read on.

Tons of people are already leaping to the ‘rescue’ with articles about how to keep calm during a pandemic. Most of these articles talk about how we should meditate, breathe, try not to panic, wash our hands, and exercise. Yes, that’s all great stuff, but have you tried to meditate when your brain is going “omg I’m going to die omg what about my grandparents omg what about my income”, when you miss your friends, and when your body is crying to be out in the sun? That sh*t is HARD!