Supporting Your Mental Health As You Move Into A New Year
As we enter a new year, it’s easy to get swept up in the hype of resolutions and new beginnings. In addition, we may feel rushed to decide what our new goals are and pressured to achieve them quickly. We may also feel like we have to be perfect and live up to our own and everyone’s expectations. Of course, this is a lot to put on ourselves! And doing so may leave us feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. The good news is that there are plenty of things we can do to support our mental health as we navigate moving into the year ahead.
Take time to reflect
As you move into the new year, it's important to take some time to reflect. To sit with what has been and assess your life and experiences. It’s also important that you reflect on the year that has passed. You may have had moments of great joy and achievement, but there may have also been times when things didn't go as planned or went wrong. Taking time to reflect can help you identify what worked well and what didn't work so well when it comes to taking care of yourself.
In addition, purposeful reflection can help you appreciate what you have and think about the things you would like to improve. The key to reflection is to be honest but not to judge yourself. Instead of purely focusing on what went wrong, try to understand what happened. Use this year-end reflection to assist you in identifying areas where you might want to make changes or keep the same.
Your reflection process can be structured or not. Whether you decide to meditate, take a walk in nature, or do something creative, the goal is to cultivate some time when you can focus on yourself and re-examine the year that has passed.
Be kind to yourself
Self-compassion is something we can all work on, especially when we are entering a new year. It's easy for us to focus on the negatives and be hard on ourselves, especially if the goals we had originally set have not yet come to fruition. However, no matter how much you beat yourself up, you, just like all of us, are not perfect. So give yourself a break and be kind to the person you are.
Over this past year, you have likely had some good and bad days. This is normal, and it's okay. You can't always be your best self, but that doesn't mean you are not worthy of self-compassion. Instead of negatively judging yourself for the mistakes you have made or the goals you have fallen short on, try acknowledging your humanness. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't try your best or give up on your wants and desires, but instead, remind yourself that you, just by being you, are worth celebrating. It is also important to remember that being kind to yourself does not mean being complacent. If you feel you have done something wrong, learn from it and let yourself compassionately move forward.
Focus on routines rather than goals or resolutions (if that fits for you)
We all know that a new year means setting resolutions. However, when we set resolutions and place such resolute expectations on ourselves, it can be really easy for us to get discouraged when those changes don’t happen quickly or in the way we expected. We may also feel bad when we fall short, which can leave us feeling negatively about ourselves. If you're one of those people who find it easy to make and keep resolutions, then, by all means, go ahead and set some for yourself. But if you are like me and find that resolutions are often broken or forgotten about within the first few weeks of January, then try focusing on routines instead.
Routines are small, practical changes that can be integrated into your daily life. While resolutions tell us where we want to be, routines are the path we take to get there. By focusing on routines instead of resolutions, it’s easier for us to keep going even when those changes become difficult because they are more directive and specific. Most significantly, routines are something that can be tracked, measured, and improved upon over time. Routines are also much less likely to be broken than resolutions because they are more flexible, allowing you to adjust them when needed. Finally, routines can be integrated into our daily lives in many different ways so that we don’t feel like we have to have a “perfect” plan from the get-go.
Assess your healthy mind platter
When we think about caring for ourselves, the first thing that usually comes to one's mind is resting or relaxing. And though taking time to slow down or do nothing can be extremely beneficial, it’s not the only thing that’s important for our mental health. In fact, taking care of ourselves involves a lot more than just resting and relaxing—it also includes making time for play, focus, and connection. Dr. Dan Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter provides a straightforward way to help us think about all the different ways we can care for ourselves. It’s especially helpful because it highlights that taking care of our minds doesn't just mean doing one thing!
It’s important to note that the platter isn’t a strict set of rules but rather a tool for helping us learn more about how to take care of our minds in different situations. Use the platter to decide what kind of care you might need depending on what you are experiencing or going through. For example, if you’re feeling stressed out by a big project at work, you can use the platter to identify what kind of care would help alleviate some of your stress. You might decide that taking time away from your desk and getting outside into nature would be most helpful in this situation, or you might decide to get lunch with a close friend.
Take some time to explore the healthy mind platter and ask yourself: What kind of care would help me right now?
Know when to seek help
Heading into a new year can be a difficult time and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that there are many resources available to help. However, if you are noticing that nothing seems to be helping or things seem to be going from bad to worse, it may be time to talk to a therapist or another trusted person who can help guide your journey toward wellness.
