If 2022 looks intimidating and hopeless due to a raging pandemic, it’s time to turn the prism upside down. The buzzwords for 2022 that will take you ahead are care, human connectedness and recovery.
Nona Walia
Optimism comes by hard these days. The current news cycle promising a tsunami of COVID-19 cases brings in fatigue and weariness at the start of a New Year. We are on a cusp of an uncertain year with changes. So, how do we then thrive in a difficult year promising nothing. Is it possible to thrive in 2022? I’m walking into this year with a lot of trepidation. Tip-toeing with caution. Yet, trying to collect small takeaways that can make 2022 -- an year of meaning, connection and joy!
Care: Let’s move beyond the self-care movement. Think about creating caring friendships, networks, relationships, work spaces, communities and societies. The way to healing pandemics is to create systems of care. In fact, care will give workplaces a positive feel. After the self-care movement, we need to take care to a bigger level. An attitude of care will bring inner joy and peace. Caring societies will give more joy.
Human connectedness: If the future is hybrid, then connections should be valued. Living in isolation has taught us one big lesson: human connection is invaluable to human life and well-being. Societies with longevity rate, believe in fostering human connection and consider it invaluable. Even though digital connectivity has kept the world connected, we ache for the in-person connectedness. Thriving in 2022, will be all about making that human connectedness.
Recovery: One of the conversations I had with people last year was how miserable they were not being able to take a vacation and travel freely. They felt stuck, needed a break from a burnout life of isolation in the pandemic. How about building a life you don’t need a vacation from. Let’s not find ways to escape from our life, but fix what needs fixing. That is the biggest lesson 2022 will be teaching us how we build our lives. Are we working on the foundations of happiness. Or simply drifting.
Mood Management: The next Normal in 2022, is how we manage our moods. We will witness the rise of behavioral healthcare. This takes mental well-being and emotional health to a stage where people start taking care of their mood charts. COVID-19 has exacerbated the behavioral health crisis facing people across the world, as stressors such as high rates of infection, grief and loss, social isolation, and unemployment have grown.
The Wu-Wei Mindset: An ancient philosophical stance that emerged from Taoism which means -- ‘effortless action’ and non-striving flow states. The act of not trying harder to win at all costs — often generates more success. Being in Wu-Wei state of mind triggers your superfluidity, you simply flow with the energies. In 2022, try to create Wu-Wei energies for yourself, where everything simply flows to you without striving.
(Nona Walia is a successful journalist and writer. She’s the author of The Art of Mental Toughness: Survival Lessons from the Pandemic. A motivational expert, she is passionate about helping people live their lives in the best possible way. A wellness warrior and a wellness blogger, she has done certified online course on Science of Well-Being from the Yale University. She runs a Wellness Channel on YouTube. She has worked with The Times of India for 24 years as a Senior Assistant Editor and is also the acclaimed writer of many articles for Thrive Global, Her Circle, Entrepreneur.com)