The festive season's final act has many of us wishing one another a happy New Year. For 2021, however, happiness seems like a big ask. With the pandemic still threatening our wellbeing, we would be wise to temper our optimism. Perhaps instead, we might wish each other a less stressful New Year, or a resilient one.
For many people, the first month of the new year typically ends in disappointment anyway. For those who make new year's resolutions, taking a brave step towards a better self, the vast majority fail miserably. A study exploring resolution-keeping published in the Journal of Substance Abuse found that only 19 per cent of resolution-makers maintained their pledges after two years. The majority are broken within the first few weeks.
The first month of the new year is also home to the mythical "Blue Monday", supposedly the most miserable day of the year. The idea of Blue Monday grew out of a publicity stunt initiated by Sky Travel, a British travel company. Enlisting the services of a psychologist, Cliff Arnall, a formula was devised to predict the UK's unhappiest day of the year. Based on a dubious algorithm, factoring in things like the first day back to work, the UK weather and consumer debt levels, Blue Monday was born. This year it is predicted to fall on January 20.
Blue Monday doesn't apply to the UAE, though. Monday isn't the start of the week, and January weather is blissful. Perhaps the whole Blue Monday idea is more nonsense than it is behavioural science – a gimmicky marketing ploy encouraging Britons to take winter-sun vacations. To those in the UK currently experiencing tier 4 lockdowns and travel restrictions, sun, sea and sand will seem like a very distant prospect.
The validity of Blue Monday aside, Jan 2021 is likely to be a difficult month for many of us. The excess deaths associated with Covid-19 will mean that, globally, more people than usual are grieving. There will also be millions more facing financial hardships related to our necessary responses to the pandemic. Furthermore, throughout January at least, uncertainty will continue to shroud many of the things we once took for-granted: travel, education and family gatherings, to mention a few. Uncertainty makes us anxious, not happy.
Wishing resilience, rather than happiness, on each other for 2021, seems like a good idea. Where happiness often depends on external events, resilience is a trait we can personally cultivate. Enhancing our resilience won't stop bad things from happening and, naturally, we will still feel down. Resilience, however, will help us bounce back sooner. Similarly, things will continue to anger us, and our anger may well be justified.
Resilience, however, will allow us to rapidly return to pre-anger levels of rationality. Once we have a level head, we can decide what action – if any – is wisest and kindest. Reacting in anger is infamous for making bad situations worse. The same is true for anxiety. Fear, worry and panic will still arise. However, resilience can help us weather their storm without us striving to avoid, escape or control events. Our attempts to "fix" anxiety are often more problematic than the unpleasant emotion itself.
Studies show that only 19 per cent of New Year's resolutions are maintained after two years
The research evidence in support of trait resilience as a promoter of wellbeing is compelling. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences in 2015 reviewed 60 earlier studies exploring the links between resilience and mental health. Resilience was unequivocally associated with improved psychological wellbeing, particularly so among people who were actually facing adversity at the time. This seems like common sense to me. Those who can cope more effectively with adversity are more likely to flourish, thrive and evade the mental traps that lead us on the downward spiral towards despair.
So how do we enhance our resilience? One way is through mindfulness meditation practices. Mindfulness has boomed over the past decade, primarily because of the scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing chronic stress and preventing relapse in depression. However, when we look closer at how these interventions work – the mechanisms of change – we see that mindfulness, at least in part, works by promoting resilience.
Rather than just wishing resilience upon people, I would like to see more well-trained and well-credentialed mindfulness practitioners, offering evidence-based programmes for stress reduction and cognitive therapy, take up their work in the UAE and the wider region.
I emphasise structure, training and credentials as there are individuals out there peddling pseudo-mindfulness. These mindfulness-flavoured experiences, at best, offer little more than a temporary feel-good placebo. As the poet Rumi is said to have written: "Fake gold only exists because there is such a thing as real gold".
Authentic, evidence-based mindfulness programmes exist and can be offered in the clinic, workplace or classroom. This year, I led an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction programme online. It had its challenges, but I still witnessed resilience blooming and saw what a critical role it will play in helping us bounce back from everything 2020 threw at us.
Justin Thomas is a professor of psychology at Zayed University and a columnist for The National
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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PRISCILLA
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WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UFC%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi
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Specs%20
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
AL%20BOOM
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Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
