5 Resolutions to Help Adjust to the New Normal

If you’re like me, the ink on some of your New Year’s resolutions had just dried when the pandemic shutdown started.  Some resolutions (like travel) may be uncertain for the remainder of the year and it’s likely you’ve picked-up some new habits in quarantine – both good and bad!  With these changes, I thought I would share some of my ‘adjusted’ resolutions as we head into the remaining half of this year:

1.  Cybersecurity

Many of us moved to working from home and some will likely remain working from home long after emergency shutdowns are lifted. With the increased amount of communication being done by email, criminals have stepped up their activity as well. Many of us take for granted how much personal information we keep in our email accounts and the harm that can come from a malicious party accessing this. If you’ve delayed reviewing your & your family’s cybersecurity, now is a good time to do this! Whether or not you use Gmail, Google has a great resource on steps you can consider to make your email accounts more secure. Ninjio also has some good resources here.

2.  Re-evaluate Spending Habits

It’s likely you’ve seen your expenses reduced as you spend more time at home and less money on entertainment & ‘other’ items.  Some of these expenses will return as quarantine restrictions are lifted, but this lockdown may have been revealing when it comes to how much or many of these expenses you actually ‘need’.  Keep up those good habits you’ve developed in isolation - maybe it’s buying groceries and cooking at home using those new recipes you’ve learned on Youtube vs. using a food delivery service?

3.  Exercise/Living Healthy

If you’re like me, you’ve spent more time on Netflix, watching TV or other non-active activities than usual.  Don’t forget to keep regularly exercising – this could be going out for walks or following a 15-20 minute exercise or yoga video online every day.  With summer around the corner, maybe it’s cleaning or gardening that keeps you active instead.  

4.  Keep in contact with family & friends

I started Zooming regularly with my family and friends, and perhaps you did too.  You may be getting busier with things returning more to normal, but don’t forget to keep setting aside time for this!

5.  Keep reading/listening to books

With all that downtime, reading or listening to audio books may have filled the void of time. I’ve always found perspective to be a key factor in understanding other people’s opinions and challenging my own beliefs. Whatever the topic, keep reading, asking yourself questions and above all - listening. We don’t have to look far in recent months to witness the ballooning feeling of fear.

“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.”
— Rudyard Kipling

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