I cannot believe it – November is already here! While this year was full of surprises (and not always the good kind), it seems like it has flown by. Surely, this year has been tough for a lot of people: the unexpected outbreak of a global pandemic has led lots of people to losing their jobs, homeschooling their kids while working from home, and lots of other challenges. But there is one thing that has not only helped me throughout this year but has significantly improved my life: practicing gratitude every.single.day.
Appreciate the time you have with your child – it will go by fast
This year most parents have spent a lot more time with their kids than they are used to (and, let’s be honest, than they want to). The shut-down of schools and daycares nationwide has led to a lot of parents juggling working while taking care of their children at the same time, or even homeschooling them. I personally had a moment around April when I thought I would have a nervous breakdown due to being overwhelmed with a high workload while taking care of my very active and needy toddler. Just before I was about to get into having really dark thoughts, I changed one thing: I turned my frustration into gratitude which turned my 2020 from negative to positive. Instead of being frustrated about having so much on my plate, here’s what I did:
- I started to be grateful for having all that time with my son, and mostly, for having him at home with me safe and sound. A lot of parents with older kids, tell me that this time goes by fast and that they wished they could still carry their kids in their arms. I have lot of people telling me they miss the stage where they fed their kids food with a spoon and they told me to enjoy every single second of this stage even if that includes waking up late at night and diaper changes. Without a doubt, all of us parents with babies and toddlers can clearly learn from these parents. They will never get that sweet time with their little ones back. So, let’s enjoy it to the maximum no matter what life throws at us.
- I started journaling. Since gratitude is an incredible strong power, you will see how many more great things will come to your life. I started writing down everything I have that I am grateful for. If you think about it, there are a lot more things than you might think. Even if you are not a millionaire, the fact that you are alive, that you have access clean water, that your children are healthy and that you are able to provide a roof over their head and food is something to be thankful for. If you do not believe me, here are just a few things that happened to me after practicing gratitude and journaling every day:
- I became a U.S. citizen this year. While all immigration proceedings were on hold due to Covid-19, I was selected as one of 500 lucky people to have their naturalization ceremony right before 4th of July
- I got a promotion at work and shortly after an even higher paying job offer
- My side hustle as a mom blogger and influencer took off in ways that I would have not expected especially not during these crazy times
- Our house sold for more than asking price and I moved to the area I have always dreamt off
- Focusing on being grateful for the things I have, made me a more patient and more focused mom. While I had always put my son’s well-being first, I believe that before I was a bit of a robot of our society: very focused on how things should be and very annoyed if they wouldn’t. I stopped sweating the small things. Even when I was working from home on a tight deadline and my son wanted to cuddle, I made the conscious decision to stop what I am doing and take a few minutes for my son. These moments with him are the most precious moments in the world to me that I cherish more than anything. It would help us bond and give me so much energy as well. And guess what, I would still meet all my deadlines just as well. Also, not being able to attend events at activities made us explore all the nature in our area and focus more on our family.