Welcome to the New Year!!
It’s a New Year and if 2020 has taught us anything it’s that we should be grateful for each day that we have. So, how about we start this year with that type of attitude. A GRATEFUL ONE.
It’s very interesting how, when a new year starts, people can have an attitude like everything is going to start over. People can act like all of the problems, issues, conflicts, and tests that made up the previous year disappear when the calendar changes to January 1st.
That’s not true, we’ve all come through this previous year! That’s what we take into the new year. You are stronger than you think. More resilient than you gave yourself credit for in past.
So what is the best way to approach this new year?
Here are my thoughts on three ways we can approach this year:
- Don’t ignore the past: Pretending like something never happened or that it is magically not a part of you life is not healthy. The previous year was a struggle for a lot of people. If you’re one that had a hard time, don’t ignore those struggles. Instead view it as a year of learning.
For example, many people lost their jobs, or were furloughed. Not to minimize the effect of something like this can have on you, but what a lot of people learned was the need for multiple streams of income. There was a realization that we couldn’t just depend on our jobs or employers.
- Know yourself: When the pandemic started, I noticed how the conversations changed around mental health. There was a big push for everyone to understand and realize how important their mental health was.
Starting this year, don’t lose track of your mental health. The aspects of the past year that were stressors haven’t changed. We all thought that the pandemic would be over by now and we’re still dealing with it currently. So continue to strengthen your mental health. Have a therapist or pastor, make use of your meditation, and prayer times. You have to be willing to do what is necessary to maintain your self care.
- Continue to Set Goals and Develop Habits: The previous year was hard, especially because it felt like everything came to a screeching stop. All of a sudden we couldn’t go out to eat, go see a movie or see our families during the holidays.
When everything seems like it’s stopped and parts of our lives have been put on hold. We need those goals and habits to give us a vision. Our goals give us something to aim for. They put a destination in front of us to continue to give us hope, to drive us forward.
Discussion question:
How are you approaching this year?
