Fitness and financial resolutions are so outmoded! Covid has brought the uncertainty of life into sharp focus – positive reinforcement is the smartest thing you can do to help yourself move forward
After the unrelenting stress of the pandemic for two years, the main things the world needs right now are optimism and cheer. As an old song puts it, we need “to accentuate the positive” and not dwell on issues like weight gain, financial planning and resolutions that can add to your woes.
“The best way to say goodbye to a miserable two years is to just live freely, with measured caution,” says Rinku Mecheri of Chennai Volunteers. “The past two years have created a great deal of uncertainty, but we have remained alive to see another year come to a close. We should focus on what really has worked for us rather than jump to new diets or resolutions we can’t keep. There is power in reaffirming the positives we have followed – for example, getting vaccinated, maintaining health protocols, bonding as families during the lockdown and improving our work-from-home ethic,” she adds.
Dr Kamala Selvaraj says, “As the legendary Dr Gemini Ganesan’s daughters, we were taught one thing — nothing is permanent; everything is transient. I negotiated the Corona years on the basis of that ideology. Family members passed away, we saw other lives being lost around us, and Covid affecting so many aspects of business. Yet, we are alive to be able to plan ahead and restructure the way we live. The lessons learnt have helped me value and count my blessings. This is no time to fret and make promises that we cannot keep. Taking each day as it comes and doing our best each day is my focus.”
Designer Richa Goenka says, “During the pandemic it’s been so easy for us to work ourselves up and worry. We have unending problems of staff attendance, financial burdens and kids schooling at home. These have all become issues we can deal with. We’ve learnt ways to survive with all the problems of the world. We watched people disregard the vaccination call, yet survive; and those vaccinated passing away. Uncertainty has been the defining theme. Going ahead, we must learn to draw on steely resolve to face whatever life throws at us. The pandemic has surely made us stronger, and that’s a start for better living.”
‘My resolution is: Be mindful’
If there’s anything that I’ve learned from the past two years, it’s that all of us can infect each other. It is not just about a virus. It can be thoughts, words and feelings. So, my resolution this year is to be mindful. Yoga and meditation really help with that. I was always into fitness, but when the pandemic happened, I took to yoga. It helps me stay grounded and manage stress. In the coming year, I have also decided to spend 10 minutes every single morning meditating and just being thankful for all the things and people in my life.
— Ritwika Gupta, TV Host and Influencer
