What To Leave Behind In 2020

By Amy Crawford

“There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.” C.S. Lewis

What a year this has been for self-reflection and change. For most, there is no going back to ‘business as usual’ and instead a greater awareness of what serves us - and what needs to be left behind in 2020. You know, the friends you didn’t miss during lockdown, the incessant scrolling on Instagram you had a hunch might be bad for you (now you know for sure) and the rushing through your days. Here are 7 things to leave behind in 2020 . . .

1. Toxic friendships

You may have noticed your friendship circle shrink in 2020. As many of us went into lockdown we soon realised who we needed in our lives - and who we didn’t. Going back to spending time with certain ‘friends’ may no longer feel necessary - or healthy. Toxic friendships will be left behind in 2020 because we’ve started prioritising our time and setting boundaries as self-protection. This includes social media. We know too much scrolling is bad for our self-esteem and our mental health. The accounts and people who left us feeling bad about ourselves in 2020 will be unfollowed, and time on social media will be limited.

2. Living in the future - and the past

This year has shown us you never know what can happen. So, it’s never been more important to let go of future fearing and holding onto the past. The time to live is now. This year has taught us to plan, have back-up security and savings but also to stop sweating over what might happen. Instead, we are learning to deal with what’s happening right now in this moment and take things one day at a time.

3. Procrastination

Has 2020 given you a ‘Now or never’ approach? For so many people, this year has been such a personal jolt, it’s moved them into a different headspace entirely. It might be time for a break-up, a bold business move or a relocation to a new place . . . This year has brought our procrastination into the light and asked us to move on it. There’s a feeling of ‘If not now – then when?’

4. Taking health and wellbeing for granted

With the stress of the Coronavirus, lockdowns and constant health messaging in the media we are acutely aware of our own wellbeing. And what we can do to improve it and stay well. In 2020 we discovered the power of a simple routine – exercise, meditation, self-care... We realised a healthy routine would ground us and keep us emotionally strong.

5. Isolation

Creating a community has always sounded like a good idea. But we haven’t always found time to nurture one. This year, the need for community has been felt on a deeper level. We now have a primal understanding that humans aren’t meant to be alone. We’re meant to connect - we need each other. Community brings solace, comfort and security. Emotional isolation is something we can happily leave behind in 2020 as we learn news ways to connect.

6. Forgetting our priorities

It’s never been more clear to us how important our family and close friends are. The people we truly need. This year was an opportunity to reconnect and strengthen bonds with family – mostly through spending so much time together in isolation. The lesson this year is that family (the one we are born with and the one we create) does come first, through the desire to protect, and to nurture. Prioritising work over loved ones is something that will be left behind in 2020. Our priorities have irreversibly shifted.

7. Rushing

What were we rushing toward anyway? The socially conditioned urge to be productive, to compete with each other and work ourselves beyond a healthy work/ life balance is something we won’t hurry back to. We are learning to slow down. When we do turn up to work we are more present and impactful – effectively letting go of unnecessary ‘busy work’ and clutter. And so …

This year has been an invitation to slow down, assess our priorities and let go of all the things that no longer serve us.

Tell me in the comments below, what will you leave behind in 2020?

Ps; Do you need more help letting go? You might need some extra tools for building self-trust. As a CTC therapist I can help remove all your old patterns of behaviour. For more information on a transformational CTC session, read this. To book a face-to-face Skype session, go here.

Header Photo by Simon Maage on Unsplash