Planning ahead: the last quarter of 2021

Dr Asha Pemberton

teenhealth.tt@gmail.com

With the many changes and challenges of this year, it is hard to believe that this weekend heralds the beginning of the last quarter of 2021. Just as quickly we will be thinking and planning the start of the new year of 2022. That said, we do not have to wait until then to accomplish our goals or set new ones that we want to achieve. While it is important that we remain patient, compassionate and kind to ourselves, as we consider the many things we have all had to navigate, we can still finish the year strong with focus on ways in which we seek to improve. We can still take the time now, in October to do things that our future selves will thank us for.

Revisit your resolutions

Every year, much energy is placed on different ideas we want to work on. Some of us are able to focus for varying lengths of time at the start of the year, but many more of us enjoy less success. It is never too late to have another look and retry your resolutions or goal. If there was something you really wanted to achieve this year, and have not quite made it, make this the moment you do it. Physical fitness? A new business idea? Learning another language? Planting a kitchen garden? Seize the moment and use the upcoming three months of 2021.

Start where you are; do what you can

There are some goals you probably did start but did not persist with. This can be the time you pick that goal back up and really make some progress. It is easy at times to beat up on ourselves, by focusing on what we do not have or cannot do. A shift in mind-set can make all the difference. Assess what you have at your disposal, be creative about what you can realise, start where you are and do what you can. It is possible to make strides and progress on projects that have been started.

Minimalist living

We often exist with lots of physical and mental baggage that cloud and obstruct our progress. We can use October to declutter that stuff out of your life to give yourself a fresh start. Are there old items you've been meaning to throw out? Do you have old feelings that you need to let go? Are there patterns of behaviour that do not serve your best interests? Are you clinging on to a relationship or a memory that is simply in the part? These are the things you can begin decluttering out of your life now. With less of the baggage, you can have more energy for the things you want to focus on in the future.

Holistic wellness

Holistic attention to mind, body, spirit, connections and assets always pays dividends. If there is not a specific goal or task that immediately comes to mind, the final three months of this year is the perfect time to pay attention to your wellbeing. Have you over indulged in poor nutrition, using pandemic challenges as an excuse? Have you allowed your physical fitness to stall? Has it become too easy to shop online, order takeout or purchase off of social media to your financial detriment? These are but a few questions for reflection this week. Consider the small but sustainable ways in which you can seek improvement, so that by the end of 2021 you will create an individual that can thrive and excel in 2022.