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2020 Wasn't All Bad
By Lindsey Matthews — Written on Dec 09, 2020
It’s no secret that the year 2020 hasn’t been anyone’s version of ideal — but that doesn’t mean we don’t have things to be grateful for.
This year has certainly brought all of us a heaping number of challenges, but it has also brought us a great deal of good as well.
Constantly complaining about 2020 won’t change the situation we are all in right now. Spreading negativity does more harm than you’d think and tends to have a domino effect.
If you’re constantly being negative about 2020, you’re going to spread that negative energy around like the coronavirus itself.
Besides, it could be worse — we could be quarantined in 2003 with dial-up internet and a Nokia flip phone.
If you’re struggling to see the bright side of this whirlwind of a year, keep reading to find out some things we can be grateful for 2020.
1. We got to spend more time with our pets.
While 2020 hasn’t been people’s first choice of favorite years, I’m sure our furry friends think this has been the best year yet.
With many people transitioning to working from home, we’ve been by our pets’ side more than ever before.
People have always joked that they hate leaving their pets behind to head off to work, and now we don’t have to!
Pets are also great for helping us deal with stress and anxiety. Petting your furry friend has been shown to help you calm down faster during times of stress and playing with your fur-ever friend raises levels of dopamine and serotonin, making you happier.
There has also been a larger number of animals being fostered or adopted from shelters. If that doesn’t warm your heart, I don’t know what will.
2. We spent more time outdoors.
After being forced into our homes to quarantine we all decided to spend more time in nature. With nowhere to go but our living rooms or outdoors, we ended up going on walks outdoors and social distancing with friends outside.
Many of us always complain that we are stuck inside working on a beautiful sunny day, and now we can soak up the rays. We can even bring our laptops outside and work from our very own backyards or patios.
Gardening and yard projects have become all the rage because we finally have the time to tackle them.
3. We had time for new (and old) hobbies.
Almost all of us have had some kind of Pinterest board filled with hobbies that we had never actually gotten the chance to try. Well, now we are pulling out all the crafts and getting to work on every kind of DIY project out there.
Some of us have gotten creative with art and others have baked every type of bread known to man, either way, it has been a little fun.
Even those of us that have opted out of the hobby bandwagon have still enjoyed watching everyone try out their new things on social media.
Many of us have found something new we enjoy or even just gotten the time to work on hobbies we already loved.
4. We came closer together.
The most important thing to come out of 2020 is that we learned how important it is to be there for others.
While it’s easy to focus on how divided some of us have become, there is still a lot of people coming together in harmony.
We have seen people donating to important causes, supporting small businesses, and being helpful to healthcare workers. People have advocated for one another and used all of their resources to help one another out.
The only way we will ever truly get through 2020 is by focusing on the positives and coming together for the greater good.
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Lindsey Matthews is a writer who covers love and relationships, news, and pop-culture topics.