HAPPY NEW YEAR! We have finally reached 2021 after such a strange 2020 and a year which has not only challenged us all – but hopefully allowed us all to reflect and grow too… My new website is now LIVE and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you all!
When reflecting on the year that has passed, I thought it would be fitting to touch on a subject that is relevant to absolutely everyone right now… Christmas has been and gone – the new year is upon us and no matter where we are, who we are with or what we are able to do (Covid restrictions permitting) there’s no doubt that at some point in the next week or so we will all feel some form of holiday blues…
So let’s talk about those post-Christmas feels…
After having a holiday over the Christmas and New Year period, it’s common for some people to feel blue and find it difficult to function normally in their daily rhythm or routine. This is to be expected as Xmas and New Year’s (however you have spent it during lockdown or not!) will have been a time where most have relaxed a little, done different things, eaten different foods and enjoyed the finer things in life so to speak (myself included) And it’s very common to feel the holiday blues and enter a holiday depression after this time has past or post-Christmas blues after the winter holidays and festival season has finished. This happens when we are dealing with daily life stresses and changes – including the switch from festivity to normality. It’s not a comfortable process and can affect some more than others. In my latest podcast episode – I share some of my tips when tackling this potential winter/festive season blues.
These include – expecting some let-down, choosing to see the benefits of post-holiday time, being gentle on yourself with regards to New Year’s Resolutions and so much more…. And when considering how to overcome the holiday blues, I think it’s super important to reflect on the year that has been and review it in light of everything you have achieved, overcome, learnt and grown from. Take a moment to take stock of the year. Reflect, and list everything that happened during the last 12 months. Include accomplishments as well as events that weren’t necessarily positive yet shaped you. Sometimes we focus only on achievements and failures, but circumstances that were out of our control are also important to recognize. All these events had an impact on you, and you may find underlying patterns or connections just from setting these down on paper. Think about what you’ve learnt – what worked and didn’t work. How did you handle events and how did you grow from them? If there are patterns in relationships or activities that have outgrown their usefulness then the new year is an excellent time to release things that were maybe good for you in the past but are no longer relevant. I think it’s always a good idea to be grateful too. Even if your year was one that you would rather forget, there is always something you can be thankful for within – so dig deep to find even the smallest of things. Here is where you will give yourself ample time to review and analyze before officially closing your year off. Once you are ready, it is time to move on to creating goals for the next year.
If you are interested in hearing more about this next step – tune into episode 52 where I share with you how to set new goals and visualise the year ahead.
Here’s to wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year! I hope it’s one full of exploration, discoveries, personal reflection and most importantly – growth!
