'The Hazy Beginning?'

'Starting a new calendar or diary with so little routine and plans to fill it with.'                                        2021 has begun and we're all hopeful that this year will be better than the last, as the vaccine is distributed and Tier 4 guidelines are followed, we're all holding on for cases of Coronavirus to fall and allow restrictions to eventually reduce, resulting in reunions with families and friends and having our freedom restored.

For many January is a difficult month anyway, let alone with a global pandemic continuing to influence our choices and daily lives. It's usually a month of challenges regarding starting up work after the celebrations and time off over Christmas, cold, dark and getting ourselves back into routine, perhaps with new goals and new year resolutions. So despite the difficulties that usually come with January and the post holiday blues, there is always a slight glimmer of optimism for the new year ahead and what it might entail, the motivation that comes with a new year and starting fresh. Opening a new calendar and filling it with tasks and events to look forward to. 

However this year is slightly different. We may have purchased new calendars or been gifted a new diary, but with the current situation we are still unable to attend the work or events we may wish to or be able to without Coronavirus's presence. It's understandable to feel somewhat deflated by this, you are not alone. Everything feels cloudy, foggy and a little flat compared to the usual start to a new year, it's impossible to plan anything and we're all exhausted of the situation. It's both a challenging, stressful and confusing time for everyone, although it's the beginning of a new year, it feels very hazy.

    

With two months to go until we have been impacted by the consequences of this virus for a year, it can feel as if life before Covid is now difficult to even comprehend in the distant past. It's understandable to feel anxious, with the new strain causing cases to rise it can seem as if all of this is never ending, but better times lie ahead. Science and continued research has our back, key workers are supporting us and we support them, it's important to remember although so much of this is out of our control, we have the ability to control our actions and follow the guidelines whilst caring for ourselves, in order to care for ourselves.

But however frustrating this may be, however empty your diary may be looking and however anxious or cloudy your mind may feel, we can all hold onto the fact that we are not alone and this year has to be onwards and upwards from the last. We know more than we knew when this virus first came along, and with knowledge comes power. The power to distribute the vaccine, to persevere and play by the guidelines, to stay in as much as we can, to look after ourselves in ways that we are able to both physically and mentally, and to stay connected to those that we love as much as we can virtually.

Although I don't have the answers, a magic wand or the ability to fix everything, I do want to remind you that we are in this together. We can only keep going, taking it day by day, looking after ourselves, following the guidelines and allowing ourselves to feel how we feel right now. This blog is a little hazy and that's exactly how I feel. A little as if my mind is on fast forward, the world around me is chaotic but I'm standing on the spot paralysed. Sometimes we can't articulate how we feel in a way for others to fully understand and that's okay. We can still continue to be there for one another from afar and be there for ourselves despite the fight to remain hopeful. It's impossible to be optimistic and motivated all the time, particularly during this challenging time. Keep taking small steps through the fog, the clear skies will return eventually.