How to Fix Your 2020 Brain

Want to get back to feeling good? We asked mental health experts to share their steps for lowering your anxious feelings and upping the optimism.

- By Erin Reimel

As much as we all hoped that our current reality would become magically better when the clock struck midnight on January 1…that didn’t happen. After the 2020 dumpster fire of fear, uncertainty and isolation, it’s no surprise that most of us need a little help getting into a new, healthy frame of mind for the year ahead.

“Teens have faced so much sadness and grief with the pandemic, plus all of the political unrest last year. On top of that, they haven’t been able to hang out with friends or enjoy milestone events that they were looking forward to,” says Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins, associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds in Boston. “It’s no wonder teens are probably the most depressed and stressed-out group right now.”

All that said, it *is* possible to see 2021 as the first step on the journey to feeling renewed and centered. By taking small, simple steps, you can get back into your groove…and a healthier frame of mind.