Apr 14

Apr 14 Learning Patience: My Reflections on Last Year

Hi, I'm Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

A year ago, at the start of Covid and social distancing, I shot several videos on strategies to navigate change: Diving Into The Unknown, Your Circle of control, and Routine Creates Normalcy.

One year later, many of us are getting vaccinated, including me, and discerning what our next steps will be. Here we go, diving into the unknown again and steering through the choppy waters of change, albeit positive happier changes. However, anything new can be disruptive and stressful.

Shopping, meeting friends, eating out at restaurants. What are you ready to do, and what precautions will you take? Meanwhile, what did you learn from last year that you want to bring forward with you?

Part of navigating this transition is first taking stock of last year by answering some questions. In this vlog, I’m offering several journaling prompts that should help you review your experiences from the previous year.

The three journaling prompts are:

1-What did you learn during your year of social distancing?

2-What did you let go of you can’t wait to get back to?

And lastly,

3-What did you let go of you may not add back in?

Here are some of my answers to those questions:

What did I learn over the past year?

I finally learned how to cash a check with my phone using my bank app, and I organized my passwords into the 1Password app. No big deal, really; however, both these seemingly small things make my life so much easier.

The world doesn’t end when I don’t wear makeup; my roots show, I skip a waxing appointment or some other self-care service. No, the world kept spinning!

It’s possible to shop once a week, even when you mainly eat fresh produce. And I’ll live If I’m eating my 2nd or 3rd favorite meal. Nope, I don’t have to eat what I want at every meal, nor do I need to shop 3 or 4 times a week.

Between Instantcart, curbside pick, and online shopping, I can circumvent all shopping errands. I never have to shop in person unless I choose to spend my time that way. Also, in-person shopping leads to increased spending because of impulse buying.

Online yoga is the bomb! I can roll right into class and then right out. An hour class takes one hour, not 2 hours, because of driving, parking, and driving home again.

I learned how to use my online library. I read or listened to multiple books, thanks to my library. Again, if I must wait several weeks for a book to be available, so what. There’s always another one I want to read in the meantime, and if I decide I want to own any of the books to refer back to them later, I can purchase them at any time. No big deal! Utilizing the library is a huge time and money saver.

2-What did I let go of that I can’t wait to get back to?

In-person meetings with friends and family. That’s a no-brainer!

Despite the ease and time saving of online classes, I’m craving hitting the weights at the gym and live yoga classes mainly to see friends.

Eating out, bowling, live music, maybe an escape room. Any in-person entertainment. Not sure how much or how often because I’m committed to creating more conscious money habits.

3-What did I let go of I may not add back in?

Less paid self-care services. I was going to fewer appointments and doing more self-care myself. Yes, I can give myself a manicure.

Also, I paused our bi-monthly cleaning lady, and I now clean my own home. I listen to an audible book or podcast. It’s oddly relaxing.

Shopping at stores for entertainment or to ‘get out of the house.’ There's nothing intrinsically wrong with this, but I always ended up buying off my list, and I'm planning on more conscious shopping habits moving forward and perhaps choosing other options than shopping to entertain myself.

During last year’s spending freeze on restaurants, entertainment, most clothing, books, and self-care appointments, I’ve saved money. I intend to continue this frugal lifestyle.

Here we go navigating change again. Perhaps you’d like to journal your answers to these three questions to acknowledge what wins you had last year and ascertain what new habits and practices you’d like to hold on to, and what you’ve missed and are looking forward to.

I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and thank you for reading this blog about reviewing your last year as you navigate your next steps. If you have any questions about this blog, about health and wellness, or wellness coaching with me, please reach out via my website at lizmosercoaching.com