2020. Overview - One photo for each month

Lately I felt a little bit down and stressed out so my initial thoughts about this year were not that great. First things that came to my mind were more on the negative side as this year I didn't really accomplish any bigger goals, it felt like I was just surviving, not really living (if that makes sense). I am aware that for many people it was the same or worse so I guess most of us have their own struggles and it's all valid. I found this year to be mentally challenging more than ever and it definitely taught me how important our mental health is.

With all these thoughts in my head about this year's challenges and struggles, I felt like I need to switch my focus on something more uplifting. I took my notebook and said to myself I'm going to write down 10 good things that happened this year/I'm grateful for. At first, 10 things seemed a lot but once I started the list, it wasn't really that hard to fill it up, in fact I could add more! That already made me feel so much better and then I started looking through the photos I took this year which is how I got the idea to create this post. Since my photos are organized by month, I picked one photo from each folder to 'represent' the month. Even if it's something really simple, it doesn't matter as long as it made me feel good.

Few days before 2020. I started taking guitar lessons as part of the project that ended with a mini concert. It was only for one month, one class each week but it was one of the best things this year for me. I really enjoyed learning how to play guitar and I'll definitely get one in the near future. Unfortunately, I can't afford one now but I imagine it would have been a great way to pass some time during the quarantine. :)

There are some things I am always grateful for such as my favorite cup of coffee, beautiful sunsets, flowers in our yard... These things remind me to stay present and enjoy the small pleasures in life. I am blessed to have an amazing view of the sun setting and this photo I took in February so it will represent this month.

In March I learned a very useful skill that is bread making! :) This was when the lockdown started so we spent all the time at home and tried to avoid grocery shopping. I realized how these simple, small skills can come in handy - in the world where we can buy pretty much anything, in the world of technology and constant development, we have come back to the basics.

With spring time, the awakening of nature happens and our garden is coming to life again. I love this time of the year as everything looks so much brighter and alive which gives me the same feelings. Spending time outside is a lot more enjoyable and quarantine life was a lot more easier to handle.

Now, I have to mention that my diet is not that healthy, especially during winter so this is more about enjoying homemade meals made from homegrown food. Gardening was a huge part of my life this spring and summer which is something I am so grateful for. Being able to grow your own food and eat nice, homemade meals felt like a luxury this year more than ever.

I didn't go for long walks to the river as much as I wanted to this year so I am putting this as a highlight for June. This is a place where I find peace and stillness, where all my worries and problems seem smaller and a place I can re-connect with nature and myself. I love to travel and explore different countries/cultures but sometimes we don't have to go far to look for a new experience or that sensation we get when we travel.

This year I have expanded my plant collection and every now and then I swap a few plants from the living room and my room. Since I took this photo in July, a few more changes were made. One smaller aloe vera plant ended up in the living room and I brought two bigger plants in my room. It has been fun to watch them grow and take care of them and some day I would like to expand my plant collection, probably when I get my own place.

Having a backyard allowed me to chill outside, catch some sun while having coffee and listening to music. Another one of those small things that made me feel better.

This month I went out every weekend so it was a lot of fun. Even though party life is not the same as before with certain rules and restrictions because of Covid, I actually enjoyed it. It's been a month and a half since the last night out and to be honest, I don't really miss it that much. As an introvert, maybe I overdid it in September so now I'm set for a few months, lol.

This year I made a reading challenge on Goodreads website and my goal was 20 books and I completed it third week of October. I'm quite happy with the amount of books I've read and my plan was to add a few more to the list before this year ends but I wasn't really in the reading mood lately. I will definitely create another challenge for 2021. Maybe I'll go for 21 to match the year even though the number itself is a little bit odd for goal setting...

A month where I started to get so many mixed emotions that are still present. It was my birthday and as the year was coming to an end, I started overthinking and stressing about so many things which happens every year. I guess spending a lot more time inside doesn't help. Days are getting shorter and colder so I tend to get in a rut which is also why I wasn't active on Hive for three weeks.

This month (so far) I am just trying to pick myself up and focus on more positive things/thoughts. Towards the very end of the year, I'll just enjoy some movie nights, try to make my room as cozy as possible and do other things that I enjoy and make me relaxed such as reading, language learning, painting, listening to music... In mid May I discovered BTS and there was only one day since then (dopamine detox 24h challenge) when I wasn't listening to their music! Lately I am getting into some other groups and loving it. Music was always big part of my life and I have music playing all the time. K-Pop really puts me in much better mood and even though I came across it few years ago, I guess the timing was not right and I believe there was a reason I discovered it this year. It might sounds a little bit 'too much' to some people but I couldn't make this post without mentioning it as it's a huge part of my daily life for months now.

So that's the end of my 2020. review. I think I'll journal more about some of my emotions and things I didn't wanted to put on the Internet just to fully process everything as much as I can. Since I usually don't talk about these things, journaling is very helpful tool that allows me to express myself, put things into perspective, clear my mind.

No matter how many things we accomplished this year, no matter how many times we fell, cried or had a breakdown, just the fact that we tried our best and made it through this rough time is enough. I'm aware that things won't magically change when midnight comes on December 31st but just the fact that we're leaving something behind and have a 'fresh start; could be a dose of motivation/inspiration some of us need - I know I do for sure.