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PHOTO: UNSPLASH/DYLAN FERREIRA

7 Things To Be Grateful For This Year Despite The Pandemic

In a year as tough as 2020, it hasn’t been easy to count every blessing, especially the ones we’ve taken for granted.

Here are just 7 things to be grateful for this year:

1. Spending quality time with family

For many families pre-COVID, having one or both parents who either constantly travelled or worked extremely long hours was normal. Thanks to the pandemic this year shutting down travel and offices, most families have been finally able to have time together, despite the zoom calls and home schooling.

For some families, being stuck in close quarters led to additional pain and stress. But if it strengthened your bonds, be grateful, then see how you can extend the love and care of a family to others in your life who might need it.

2. Being able to adapt and redefine the norm

Change is constant and recovering from a crisis to a new normal is a reality. Things may never go back to what we’ve been used to, but that’s OK. Successfully adapting to a new norm is proof of resilience and grit.  

3. Be thankful if you still have a job

Right now, just having a job is a huge blessing. Too many people have lost their jobs and livelihoods in the wake of all the pandemic’s economic disruptions, so take a moment to be grateful if you still have yours and are still able to draw a stable income. Not everyone may have been as lucky as you. So here’s how to give back to your community this season. 

4. Self-care is the new wealth

We can’t emphasise this enough. You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. Making time for your needs and charging your own battery is not selfish, it’s critical. 2020 has been a very emotionally and mentally challenging year for many, so if you’ve gotten through the year this far, give yourself some credit for keeping it together and for being able to look after your loved ones.

5. Be grateful if you have savings

This year has been the longest rainy day ever and having savings to fall back on have probably never been as important as they have been now. Always have at least five months of the cost of monthly living expenses as savings to cushion you in case of a loss of income again or unforeseen circumstances.

Want to give more even while you’re trying to save? Here’s how.

6. You’re lucky if you have family in the same country

So many people have been cut off from their loved ones living in different countries due to the pandemic’s travel disruptions, highlighting how travel and holidays were always taken for granted. Many of us may even know someone who has lost a loved one but couldn’t reach them in time to say goodbye properly or just haven’t been able to see their aging parents this year. If you’re lucky enough to be living in the same country as your family, that’s a big thing to be grateful for.

7. Our people and leadership

Last but not least, we're grateful for the way Singapore has steered through this pandemic. Yes, measures might have seemed tough initially, but we have all undoubtedly been better off for it. Knowing that your country is doing a great job on a global scale is a huge blessing.

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