The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and Other Valuable Lessons 2020 has Taught Me
I think we can all take a deep breath and say it: 2020 was a shit year. We spent over half the year in quarantine, watched crazy politics as if it were tennis, went online for most of our jobs, schools, and children’s schools, and most obviously suffered from a world wide pandemic, the root cause of all these things.
While personally 2020 was my worst one yet, as the year comes to a close, I find myself realising why it was in fact, the best year I’ve had yet. It doesn’t seem easy to appreciate what 2020 has given us, and trust me, it’s not, but this year has given me some of the most valuable lessons and moments that I won’t forget.
- Diverging from societal standards to do what makes you happy is OK — this can be a hard pill for some to swallow. It’s easy (especially for us Americans) to get caught up in the ideal that we need to work and save money to ultimately be successful. Up until this year, I felt that way too. However, when we hit the second wave of quarantine, I started to realise just how little having a steady job, a good career, or putting money in the bank mean right now. Instead I’ve started living more in the present moment rather than saving up for the moments that will somehow make me happy in the future.
- The subtle art of not giving a f*ck — this is my favorite lesson that this year has taught me. I have struggled with regular anxieties my whole life, and 2020 should have been the explosion of it all, but it wasn’t. Instead I learned (and trained my brain to know) that if it’s out of my hands, it’s not worth giving a f*ck over. There are so many unpredictable things in life, and this year alone there were more than a few. Anxiety levels are high all around, but there are so many things that we can not control! By the end of 2020 I’ve learned to fix what I can and not worry about the rest.
- Good friends are important, hold on to them — my dearest friends and I have been far apart for this pandemic, but in the times that we were able to get together over a socially distanced home state picnic or Zoom and FaceTime calls, I was reminded of just what friends are there for. It’s been a hard year, and with many of us separated from family and even significant others, good friends are in need right now. Lean on them when you need to, but also remember that sometimes others will need to lean on you.
- The great outdoors will be your best friend — I have always been an avid outdoors fan, but I never knew just how much I needed mother nature until there was nothing else left but to go outside. Hiking, biking, even just walking have all become frequent quarantine habits for me, and they’ve changed my moods immensely. Even if it’s just something as simple as sitting outside with a book and a cup of tea, getting a few rays of sunshine and fresh air every day will be guaranteed to brighten up your mood.
- Get off your screens — this one is really hard for me. Not only am I on my phone often for work, I have a tendency to live life through a screen: checking others social media posts, watching instead of doing, and just generally curating an online presence that has a draining effect on my personal and professional life. I have been trying hard to combat this by pausing apps, spending more time getting outside, and even occasionally going so far as to delete an app from my phone entirely.
Outside of these five things, I’ve learned probably a million other valuable lessons that I’ll carry with me for a long time, but these remain the most important. In the meantime, I’ve also picked up journaling (an old habit that I attempt to do more often), weekly exercise goals, cooking, and lots of cleaning and rearranging of furniture to keep me busy in these last days of 2020. When I’m not writing, I try hard to stay off my phone and get outside, and hopefully, just maybe you can find me at a National Park near you in 2021.
To get in touch:
Instagram : @caelinsfilm | @studio3film
Email: grambauca@gmail.com
