As the year 2021 winds to a close, many of us are reflecting on how our lives have been upended. As the Covid-19 scare continues to persist, we are facing physical and mental health challenges. And establishing a new rhythm has become very significant to keeping us afloat!
And when it comes to resolutions for 2022, the pandemic has made the practice feel more helpless.
Normally, a New Year resolution is a tradition in which a person decides to maintain good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life at the start of the year.
After two years of unprecedented pain and strain, taking resolutions for the New Year may be more difficult than ever before. And they will look a bit different than they have been before.
If ambivalence happens at the best of our times, what about a time when we have no idea about what will transpire in the coming months? In fact, making a resolution and keeping it could greatly boost our sense of self efficacy. It will enhance the trust in our ability to take action that will benefit us and the situation.
The virus has changed many of our daily routines in ways no one anticipated and that has become the new normal. We are all now struggling to figure out what happens next. It seems unfairly self-repudiating to hold ourselves to the same old standards as we once enjoyed.
So amid Covid-19 and its emerging variants and healthcare professionals predicting more cases in the coming weeks, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and protecting others has assumed more importance than ever.
The pandemic has also brought to fore the importance of relationships and connections with family and friends. It has also served as a visceral reminder that something unexpected can land in our well-envisioned path, halting all progress.
Personally, the year 2021 was the worst year for me. Sadly everything unexpectedly crashed and got blown out of proportion after my admission to the hospital following coronavirus infection. As I mentioned in my earlier write-ups, it was not the physical pain that I experienced but the worries and anxiety that my kith and kin had to undergo during those traumatic days are bad memories of the year.
My family members have not yet recovered from the mental anguish left by the virus. Tears flow when they talk about the pain and strain that they underwent during those dark days of my stay in the hospital.
My son still says, “the nightmares just won’t stop. I wake up every night shaking with intense fear. I wake up drenched in sweat”. It has come to a level that any mundane discussion remotely related to the virus sets off a series of alarming responses among them. It could take months or even years for them to come out of the stress even as I am on the path to steady physical recovery.
And I do feel incredibly blessed that I have survived. A survival made possible thanks to the concerted efforts by doctors, nurses, therapists, and other medical personnel. Of course the prayers and support from you all made me win over the virus.
Coming back to the resolutions, approach them as your commitments with a dose of self-kindness. Taking any step towards healthier living and protecting others is something to celebrate – no matter how modest that step may be. We still have the power to make a difference in our lives.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
