Sanitize your hands. Not your emotions.

When it comes to this 2020, if I am being completely honest with myself and others... it's been more than hard. Unfulfilled expectations. Cancelled Trips. Missed opportunities. Confusing information. Sickness. Divided perspectives. Economic uncertainties. Maskne (Mask acne).

While the general requirement was 6ft, I felt so much farther from others. People were never meant to be alone and isolation cornered others into anxiety about the future. Including myself. Through the chaos of 2020 and plenty of work from home days, it gave me plenty of time to sit and think. And while I can't nearly sum up my frustrations from the year or the amount of personal growth, I have learned to practice not sanitizing my emotions.

A lot of 2020 was spent being overly optimistic. Being optimistic isn't bad. Looking at the glass half full is beautiful. It's when we fail to also acknowledge the empty part of the glass is where we find ourselves sanitizing our language and sanitizing out emotions. Sanitizing ourselves this way doesn't benefit anyone and it made me miserable. Now I practice vulnerability. Acknowledging my losses, giving myself a safe space to cry over spilled milk, and giving myself gold stars for cleaning it up. And I didn't do it alone. I asked for help or often just a listening ear. Being vulnerable is a daily practice and a daily choice. While the world continues to traverse through the unknowns. Remember: Sanitize your hands and not your emotions.