9 minute read
Finding positives through the
FINDING POSITIVES THROUGH THE PANDEMIC By Natalie McCulloch
Ok, this may not be a phrase on many people’s lips as we look set to enter 2021 with another lockdown looming and the exhaustion of a stressful year behind us. It goes without saying that 2020 has brought many people worldwide many challenges, much sadness, financial losses, employment losses, health issues and even personal losses or deaths. Owing to Covid 19 our lives have been tossed into a somewhat ‘snow globe’ situation where they’ve been shaken up in an uncontrollable and unpredictable way. In fact, in light of how challenging 2020 has been for most people it would be understandable to ‘write it off’ so to speak.
However, it’s possibly very important to think differently about this and actually acknowledge, even celebrate what we have learnt in 2020 and use this to go forward in 2021.
“The struggle you’re in today developing the strength you need for tomorrow” - Robert Tew
So what’s worth celebrating about 2020?
As I say, 2020 may not have been the best year for people due to the global pandemic, flooding, storms and the waves these caused, to mention a few things. However there may be some small shafts of light in these dark times worth considering. On a wider level – air pollution plummeted, Venice’s canals are clearest in 60 years and people have reconnected with nature in wonderful ways. On perhaps a more personal level people have reported becoming more appreciative of things they’d taken for granted (Such as seeing family/friends, dining out, being able to shop) and had chance to take up new hobbies, improve IT skills (zoom quiz anyone?) and develop healthier hygiene habits.
Whether it’s the best of time or worst of times, it’s the only time you have. Look for the good in each day. Focus on growth, purpose, peace, love and gratitude. - Karen Salmansohn
On a personal note, I am grateful for 2020. Its allowed me to identify my unhealthy rigid attitude towards my gym routine which had gotten in the way of life’s more important things/people to the point I recognise I’m not in the right place to be a member of a gym currently. It’s allowed me to focus on what is important to me in my life, which is mainly my wonderful friends, family and amazing boyfriend all of whom give me a reason to live, smile and I love very dearly. Its allowed me to engage in my love of outdoors and photography (sorry everyone on facebook who sees 1001 photos every time I step outside!). It’s allowed me to try a new job role in the NHS where I feel honoured to work and meet new people as well as learning new skills and it’s made
me reflect on all the wonderful things I have in my life and all the many things I want to achieve.
I’m not usually the most positive of people but in the height of the first wave of C19 I was becoming saddened by the amount of negative energy around which prompted me to take action. I was fortunate enough to have a chance to do an art display in the hospital I work in (YES! ME, ART, I KNOW - first time ever and definitely not my forte!) In conjunction with the amazing NHS art team. The display which depicted positives that patients, staff and visitors had found through c19 period was showcased as you entered the hospital and added to over time. It was really touching to see how people commented and reacted to it, even people who had lost family members, job roles or faced challenges wrote in with their positive reflections. One quote from a patient stuck in my head that “it was the first time since the war that community spirit has existed”, others focused on learning new skills, spending time with loved ones and tidying their lives and mind’s. Its things like this that we have taken for granted previously perhaps but that perhaps we need to take forward with us into the New Year in order to have a fulfilling one.
According to Verywellmind.com; positive thinking can help reduce depression, lower blood pressure and improve immunity and by acknowledging the strengths that have taken you through 2020 and the skills you’ve acquired you may have built up resilience and transferable skills to face whatever 2021 throws at you.
So, I urge you to join me in reflecting with an open mind and trying to find even a few positives through this pandemic or at least focus in on lessons learnt during lockdown. Perhaps you could share them on the Cardiff times twitter feed? I’m not for one moment downplaying how incredibly hard 2020 has been and how overwhelmingly sad also, but I would like to help people hone in on any positives they can, recognise their strengths and acknowledge the small things in life which often get forgotten.
Further information cardiffandvale.art/2020/05/26/positive-reflection www.verywellmind.com/
Fashion done your own way
The world, as it is, is never ceasing to amaze me with all of its current twists and turns. Corona certainly hasn’t made our lives easy but now is the season for us all to fully enjoy ourselves and wave a not-so-sad goodbye to the year of 2020. When I wrote my first article of the year all the way back in January, I never expected the long and tiresome year that was to come but I must say that, as a country, we have battled on and made the most of every opportunity that has come our way and for that I feel we are well entitled to celebrate the most we ever have this Christmas. Christmas for me is all about coming together as a family (or as a group of friends) and appreciating all that we have and all that is to come; I would mention the copious amounts of food too but I feel that may take away from the sentiment in this paragraph. Food, drinks, good songs (I don’t know about you but I’m planning on listening to Heart Xmas from this day onwards) and many other things are going to make this year’s celebrations extra special and I cannot wait! I will admit, it’s been rather difficult finding inspiration for this month’s article as I’ve found myself in a bit of a slump, possibly as I’ve just about finished my birthday celebrations. But when I really thought about what I wanted to talk about this time round, I found myself leaning towards the theme of gifts. For me personally, giving gifts is far more exciting than actually receiving them (possibly because I’m now a fully fledged shopping addict who has no control over purchasing things), and I think there is nothing more special than finding the perfect gift for someone who you love. So, following that note, this article is all about gift giving and the best ways to buy this Christmas.
In past years I’ve normally relied on one single
By Molly Dutton
shopping trip to purchase all the family’s gifts. This always seemed like the most effective method of bulk buying and it did the job fairly quickly, but I wanted this Christmas to be an exciting experience, even down to the gift buying. This year, I felt a little bit different about purchasing gifts as I had a huge amount of time on my hands and didn’t have that overwhelming desire to rush into buying them. One thing that I would hugely encourage if you’re able to, is buying the majority of your gifts from small businesses. Now I know what you’re thinking, not everyone is going to want a personalised door matt or a keyring from that little boutique from down the road but, in all seriousness, if you have access to the internet and a bit of patience, there is a world of beautiful gifts just waiting to be bought from extremely caring and grateful businesses. This year, smaller companies have taken huge hits as more and more people use the big sites like Amazon to get all of their everyday items and now their Christmas presents too, mostly because its seen as
the easiest way to get everything in one place (the British do love a hassle-free shop). When I started to browse on the good old web for some inspiration, I came across the handmade marketplace Etsy and decided that that was where I was going to spend my money this year, browsing through all the pretty items and hampers that they have to offer. The beauty of buying handmade gifts from these little companies is that they really do appreciate every single person who purchases from them and they show that in the way that they package their items and present their gifts; every little detail is perfectly organised to show their appreciation and it’s like opening your very own ray of sunshine every time. Without sounding too dramatic, I had a lot of people to buy for this year, mostly for the ladies, but also for the men in the family. I spent hours looking on Etsy for all of these individual gifts and I found that the hamper selection on the site was something that very much caught my eye. As you can contact the sellers, I was able to tell them what type of things I wanted in my hampers and they always responded in such a lovely way.
Another way that I managed to discover these wonderful brands was through Instagram as a lot of my mutual friends have set up their own businesses and have promoted others in my local area. One lovely seller called @Rubyharrydesigns has been making beautiful fabric masks, scrunchies and hats for each of the seasons (my pumpkin style one was surprisingly the start of many conversations), just releasing her brand-new Christmas range which is ridiculously exciting. Whilst Instagram is mainly used for photos, it now has a new business section which allows you to reach out and communicate with sellers from the local area, something I didn’t see coming from the app which saw me evolve from a tutu wearing thirteen year old. I decided to post about the small businesses I have been supporting and it actually generated a lot of interest from my followers who replied with their own favourites and we created a little community of small business supporters which really was the highlight of my month. If you’re not a fan of Instagram, Facebook is just as much of a hotspot for businesses, especially if you start following your local community pages and pop any questions about items that you’re looking to find on there.
The main message that I want you to take from this article is that it’s so important to keep our friendly, local businesses thriving and successful during this time, even if it takes an extra twenty minutes of your day to track down some lovely gifts.
