A Message to 2020

2020 has been one of the strangest years that many of us have ever experienced. From the Australian Bush fires to notable Celebrity Deaths, Brexit failures to Covid 19, 2020 has thrown endless obstacles and challenges into our paths. As we come to the close of this eventful year, the Team at Loop reflect on their own experiences of year that I think most of us will be happy to see the back of!

2020 has been the year to remember for me. Although even hearing someone say 2020 makes people cringe, I have found that 2020 has been a year to remember for me. In 2020 I was supposed to do my GCSEs, figure out what I want to at college and find myself all at once and it was really taking its toll. I was in such a bad place with mental health and I was being incredibly overworked. I'd be lucky if I got home at 6pm from school and I was waking at 6:30am! When I found out school was ending due to Covid-19, it was very much bittersweet. I had to say goodbye to students and teachers I had been with for almost 5 years of my life but I was also given the once in a lifetime opportunity to take a break. Lockdown was really a blessing in disguise, I was catching up on sleep, not worrying about deadlines and being able to find myself without all the added stress. Throughout lockdown I met my current boyfriend which has helped my mental health along with everything else as well. Having someone who you can talk to and know they’re actually listening is the best feeling and having my boyfriend helped make being stuck at home without a thing to do much easier. In lockdown I decided it was the best time to figure out who I want to be, and 7 box dye packs later I figured it out and couldn’t be happier with the opportunity I had to play around with my hair without being unable to go outside out of embarrassment since I couldn't go out anyway. Overall, 2020 has been an unexpected but entertaining year of self growth and self discovery and I am over the moon with the way this year has worked its magic in small ways. Cheers 2020 you've been one for the memory books <3 - Emily Cuell

2020 for me has just been split into 3 parts. January - 23rd of March, The first lockdown, and now the end of the year. Normally when it gets to the end of the year I can barely recall what I have done during the year. Everything seems to just melt and blur together. Primarily because I haven’t paused to look at my experiences or memories. Months and days seem long when I am living in that moment but when it is all over, it is anticlimactic since it went by so fast. In contrast , 2020 has been memorable because not only has it been an extraordinary year- for unfortunately all the wrong reasons, 2020 has been a ‘cleanser’ for me. I feel refreshed. 2020 has made me appreciate the little things in life more such as weekend lie-in’s!- Sulena

This year felt like it lasted forever as the months blurred together into a big mess and I struggled to separate March from July. The year has been full of ups and downs and many, many challenges ranging from the Australian Bush fires, to the death of many Celebrities and of course the March lockdown that we plummeted into due to Covid. This whole year has been a completely new experience and everything changed because of it. Holidays got pushed back for months and some flights stopped completely which made it very difficult for me and my dad as I was unable to go to Ireland and see him. However, there was some good to come out of this year such as: lots of stress release over exams being cancelled, catching up on sleep, learning to take care of ourselves and our families, cherishing the moments we have with our friends, and much more. Overall, I think 2020 was a mess of a year and though its main focus was negative, however some positive aspects were hidden below the surface. - Grace

2020 has been the most eventful and memorable year for most of us, however for the worst possible reasons. The year started terribly, with the death of both Kobe Bryant and Caroline Flack which devastated so many people. Then the australian wildfires which was declared one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history resulted in the destruction of so many homes, animals and trees. Then finally, the worst thing that could happen to the world happened… a global pandemic. The pandemic changed everyones lives completely and we are still seeing the effects of the virus almost a year later. As we approach the end of the year, everyone is hoping that we can put this year behind us and that by next year we will be able to return to normal and continue our lives as they were pre pandemic.

- Annaliese