Very few of us would say that 2020 was a great year. And it might be hard to find something good about this last year. However, if we look at it through the lens of post-traumatic growth, we might discover that we have gained valuable lessons that will help us in the years to come.

Do you remember the holiday season as a child? Can you recall the anticipation and excitement of what Santa might bring you? Or better yet, if you have children now, can you feel their excitement for the upcoming holidays? When I think of my childhood holiday experiences, the word that comes to mind is “awe”. This year, many of us may not be feeling full of awe, however. So, how do we get these feelings back?

Living a purposeful life is often described as whether or not we engage in meaningful, nontrivial activities in our daily life (Scheier et al., 2006). The assumption behind this description is that when we are guided by purpose, we allocate resources and organize activities in a way that move us towards our goal. So, how do we do this? How do we live more purposefully on a daily basis?

In early 2020 the pandemic caused many of us to be suddenly thrown into working from home. We are now having to share our workspace with other family members who are also trying to work from home or attend school virtually. This brings about many impacts to our work and our relationships. Let’s find out what we can do to overcome these challenges.