As a new year approaches, a new decade dawns. But for the characters in Stranger Things, it’s always the decade of excess. For the past three years, we’ve been in the ’80s, reminded of yesteryears spent playing Dungeons and Dragons, watching Ghostbusters, and rocking out to Limahl. While the characters of Stranger Things have had their hands full with the Mind Flayer, they’ve also had to face their own inner demons.
For a government lab rat turned telekinetic wunderkind, Eleven has shown surprising growth fitting in with other teenagers. For a man grieving his lost child, Jim Hopper has made room in his heart for Eleven and her friends, even if they exacerbate him. Worrywart Joyce has come into her own as a fierce mama tiger, and Steve has graduated from high school douchebag to decent human being. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will have all grown up in different ways, but it’s only made their bond of friendship stronger. Let’s take tips from the citizens of Hawkins for 2020!
ENJOY YOURSELF (ELEVEN)
When everyone seems to have an opinion about how you present yourself to the world, don’t forget that the only opinion that matters is yours! So take a cue from Eleven, put on the outfit that makes you feel the most radiant, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!
We’ll never forget in Stranger Things Season 3 when she and Max went to the new Starcourt Mall, intent on forgetting about the opinions of their boyfriends. After trying on fun outfits, taking lots of selfies, and enjoying themselves, the girls emerged more confident, more joyful, and more badass than ever before.
DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM TOXIC PEOPLE (BILLY)
Throughout our lives, we routinely come in contact with people that drain our energy, rob us of our motivation, and turn us into shells of our former selves. Their constant negativity transforms us from confident, charismatic risk-takers into mindless zombies who go along with anything they say.
Break free from the toxic people in your life the same way that Billy broke his bond with the Mind Flayer. It tried to use him as a pawn to manipulate his sister and her friends, but Billy realized the horrible effect it had on him and was able to break free at the last moment.
CHERISH YOUR LOVED ONES (HOPPER)
Life is short, and we all never really know how much time we have with our loved ones until they’re gone from our lives. That’s why it’s important to remember to cherish them each and every day, and never take them for granted, because one day they might not be there.
Jim Hopper wasn’t a perfect person, but his self-sacrifice made up for any flaws in his character. Even though Eleven was upset with him for trying to control her life, she knew he only did it because he cared so much about her. When he was taken from her in the Season 3 finale, she realized she would miss the overbearing way he loved (and his bear hugs).
LET GO OF THINGS YOU CAN’T CONTROL (JOYCE)
Things happen in life that are unexpected and inconvenient, and there isn’t always something you can do to combat the fact that sh*t happens. Trying to force control on the inexplicable and random outrages of our existence is a waste of your energy, time, and mental health.
We all know Joyce Byers is one of the biggest worrywarts in Stranger Things. She’s had to go through the pain of her child being abducted in Season 1, the death of her boyfriend in Season 2, and she has every right to be a nervous wreck. But as we saw in Season 3, when she mastered her emotions and became confident in her own strength, she was able to be a fearless leader.
BE MORE INDEPENDENT (MIKE)
Often times we get into a rut where we find ourselves depending on our family, friends, or significant other to help us through life’s challenges. We grow accustomed to the fact that someone will “always be there”, and we don’t grow as individuals. In 2020, consider doing more things alone - who knows, you may learn things about yourself you never expected.
Throughout Stranger Things, Mike and Eleven have grown closer. They’ve shared a special bond since the beginning, and by Season 3 friendship turned into romance. But when Eleven breaks up with Mike, he becomes despondent, mean to his friends, and self-pitying. She develops herself as an individual, and he makes her feel bad for it. With greater introspection and time on his own, Mike realizes their independence makes them stronger as a couple.
READ MORE (ROBIN)
In 2020, consider expanding your intellect by picking up a book, subscribing to an online newsletter, or just remembering to actually read those articles you “post to read later” on your social. Reading is a great way for you to expand your worldview as well as learn new things.
Robin spearheaded the effort to commandeer Russian once she found out from Dustin that beneath Starcourt Mall, Russian spies were planning on opening a secret dimensional portal. By throwing herself into the research, she met new friends, challenged her mind, and developed a surprisingly good Russian accent.
TAKE A CHANCE ON LOVE (DUSTIN)
Maybe 2019 was the year your relationship ended, or maybe 2019 was another year of being single. Just because you were unlucky in love in the past, don’t let it sour your view of romance for 2020. Though it isn’t necessary for you to live your best life, it can help.
Not many of Dustin’s friends expected him to come back from summer camp with a girlfriend in Season 3. Considered a total goofball, no one believed he’d score someone “as hot as Phoebe Cates”. It didn’t matter whether or not Suzie looked like a famous actress - the only thing that mattered was how Dustin saw her. You deserve someone to look at you the way Dustin looks at Suzie, and to share duets of ’80s pop songs.
DRINK AND SMOKE LESS (HOPPER)
While celebrating the New Year brings a lot of imbibing and revelry, consider the feeling you have whilst hugging the toilet New Year’s Day and think about easing back on the booze in 2020. Not only will you have more energy in the mornings, and cut costs on the bar tab, you’ll avoid embarrassing fiascoes.
Hopper is depicted as a man’s man who looks like a grizzly but has the heart of a teddy bear. He smokes too much and drinks too much, the latter of which results in a horrific scene in Season 3 concerning a date with Joyce. Hopper’s problems stem deeper than alcoholism - they’re symptomatic of his PTSD over the death of his child. Only when he comes to terms with his grief can he disengage from his coping mechanism.
MAKE NEW FRIENDS (STEVE)
We all get a little too comfortable with our social circle, never expending the energy to strike up new friendships if the ones we have are low-key and sustainable. But we also don’t grow or improve that way and miss out on the unexpected bonds we can make with people outside our comfort zone.
Look at what happened with Steve in Season 2 of Stranger Things. Despite being super popular in high school he got dumped and begrudgingly started hanging around with Mike and his pals. This led to his unlikely friendship with Dustin and Robin. Steve showed sides of himself to the pair he’d never shown to anyone, and by taking the risk of getting to know them, got to know himself.
FIND A NEW HOBBY (JONATHAN)
One of the best things about a new year is the chance to embark on a new hobby. Use 2020 as an excuse to start a class you’ve always wanted to take, or develop your skill in some area of art, fitness, or recreation. It will challenge you not only mentally and physically, but give you the added skills of patience and dedication that might lead to unexpected rewards.
We all see how Jonathan’s photography skills panned out since Season 1 of Stranger Things. He was hired to work for the local Hawkins newspaper instead of slinging ice-cream at Scoops Ahoy. Despite being an outcast at school, his skill with his trusty Pentax camera gave him opportunities he’d never thought possible.
