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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

What I learned in 2020

As an extraordinary year draws to a close, writers reflect on how their lives changed, and what they'll carry into the future

31 December 2020

  • Man on rowing machine.

    The gyms closing made me realise that muscles aren't my only source of strength

    Dan Bradley
  • An activist speaks at a September Trans+ Pride rally in London.

    After years of denial, I've finally accepted that I'm a trans woman

    Anonymous

30 December 2020

  • Elle Hunt

    This year I finally learned that work alone is not enough to sustain me

    Elle Hunt
    After another burnout from overworking, I realised I didn’t want to live like this any more, says London-based journalist Elle Hunt
  • Man drinking in pub

    Moving back home during the pandemic forced me to confront my dad's alcoholism

    Anonymous
    His addiction dominated my childhood – but I thought I’d escaped relatively unscathed. Lockdown made me reconsider
  • Generic pills of different colours in a pile

    Now I've quit benzodiazepines, this year will be the first I can remember for a decade

    Lily Lynch
    I went through acute withdrawal from anxiety medication alone during the pandemic, says Lily Lynch, editor-in-chief of Balkanist magazine

29 December 2020

  • An interracial couple's hands

    Black Lives Matter changed my life, and my interracial marriage, for the better

    Tineka Smith
    In a defining year, I realised my husband will always be learning about race, says Tineka Smith, co-author of Mixed Up

28 December 2020

  • heron on riverbank

    My fertility treatment failed three times in 2020 and I discovered how to live with uncertainty

    Lynn Enright
  • Eleanor Shakespeare illustration

    A cardiac arrest showed me what dying feels like. How should I live in Life 2.0?

    Jonathan Watts

25 December 2020

  • Ellie Mae O’Hagan

    This year, I took a leap of faith and married someone I’d only met three times

    Ellie Mae O’Hagan
  • Woman's boots in fallen autumn leaves

    Learning how to walk again during the pandemic forced me to live in the moment

    Hollie-Anne Brooks

23 December 2020

  • Marianne Eloise

    A psychiatrist diagnosed me as autistic with ADHD. Now, finally, I can thrive

    Marianne Eloise
    This year I got to know what being female and neurodivergent means, says freelance writer Marianne Eloise

21 December 2020

  • Kia Abdullah with mother 1986

    When my mother said she was lonely, I knew I had to relearn my Bengali language

    Kia Abdullah
    In this strange and isolating year, reacquainting myself with Sylheti gave me a new understanding of my family, says author Kia Abdullah
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