New Year…Is that You??
It’s 2021 and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to leave last year in the dust! 2020 tested the emotional, mental, social, and financial aspects of most everyone’s lives at some point throughout the year. Traditional learning styles, gatherings, social distancing, mask-wearing, and everyday tasks such as grocery shopping and eating out all became new and quite unfamiliar. As the year brought about changes beyond our control, if you are reading this right now, you are ALIVE and still can find gratitude in just that.
As we transition into the new year, it is important that we learn from important lessons the previous year taught us. The biggest lesson, I think we can all agree on, is that life is unpredictable. From school environment and job security to one’s mental and physical health, no one was prepared for the changes that occurred. And though it may have seemed impossible, day by day, you made it through. You learned to ADAPT to what was changing around you.
Now, take that lesson 2020 “forcefully” taught you and make this new year, a new you! Prepare yourself mentally by building healthier habits and skills to help cope through difficult times. In a recent poll, seven out of 10 teenagers said they were struggling with their mental health in some way. More than half of the respondents also said they’d experienced anxiety, 45% reported feeling excess stress, and 43% identified that they struggle with depression. If you have struggled with excessive stress, experienced depression or had feelings of loneliness, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
During times when there are lots of changes happening, life can feel like you’re on a small ship in the middle of the ocean getting tossed around by waves. But it’s important to remember that tough times are temporary, and we will get through them. It’s also helpful to think about: What makes you feel connected to yourself, your family, your friends? What gives you comfort and takes your mind off your troubles? And like a ship at sea, what anchors you? Find a small item that symbolizes the things that anchor you. It can be a coin a relative gave you, a stone you found at that park with a friend, a button from a favorite shirt—anything. Carry this token with you. Hold it when you are feeling overwhelmed and to help you focus on the people or places that it symbolizes to give you comfort. If you have a close friend, you can also be each other’s anchors. Regularly check in with your friend and see how they are doing. Or, give each other a token of your friendship to carry and help anchor you through tough times.
Take this year to concentrate on the things that are within your control. The things that you can change to sustain your happiness and well-being. Those things that are out of your control are just that, out of your control. Learn to cope, adapt, survive, and outlast the difficult temporary situations you will face. Make this new year the best one yet!