That time of the year when many people take a stand to better take care of themselves is here again. As the clock chimes in the last second to a new year, you could be amongst those who vow to instill some changes in life. The start of a new year, after all, is a symbol of fresh beginnings, new opportunities to make a difference in your current life, and a chance to end the quandaries of the previous year. This is why it is celebrated with a bang in many cultures, literally and metaphorically.

As you sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ along with a noisy crowd and counting down on New Year’s Eve, think about what you must do differently this year. If the resolutions in the previous years are unticked in your list, so that they were just like fleeting reminders of what you must be changing, why not start on improving your emotional health first. There is nothing wrong with wanting to achieve good physical health year after year. This year, though, why not begin with the improvement of your emotional health.

Having a healthy emotional well-being plays a dominant role in every person’s life. How you interact with others, how well you perform your work or art, and how you perceive and treat yourself – these are all influenced by your state of emotional health. If you want to do things different this year, why not let boosting your emotional health a top priority?

Rewriting Your New Year’s Resolutions

Are you writing your New Year’s resolutions yet? Whether you are a fan of New Year’s resolutions or not, this is always a good time to take stock of your life and to plan out what can be done in the coming months to bring you closer to your life goals. Enthusiastic and all keyed up by the pompous celebration of New Year, you are likely to feel hopeful that the coming year will be different, even better, from the one that came to a close. As the excitement and energy die down in two weeks to a month, so can be your ardor in pursuing your resolutions.

There is really nothing wrong with having a list of resolutions that go unchecked by the end of the year. Sometimes it happens because they are imposed on you in a hostile way. Sometimes the past year has not been that good, so you are pressured to make unrealistic promises to for it to hopefully become better. Sometimes you are too overwhelmed with negative emotions that your insights are slanted, leaving you confused. What is important is to understand why you chose to discontinue your fervor. You may have not realized it before, but it is usually linked to the state of your emotional health.

Your state of emotional health can change how you write your resolutions. This is why you must write your New Year’s resolutions when your emotional well-being is ‘in then pink of health.’ If you have been gripped by depression or anxiety, the pressure to ‘refresh’ or ‘start over,’ can be too much for you. Forcing yourself to begin again like nothing bad happened can be unrealistic, and therefore, unproductive. The sad fact is that making a fresh start is not exactly true when the clock strikes midnight of December 31. If you must rewrite your resolutions, it is important to be emotionally vibrant.

Feeling the New Year Blues

The celebratory air of a new year can pass unnoticed when you are feeling ‘new year blues.’ It is that heavy feeling you experience as you are overcome by emotional things – memories and reminders – that bring back powerful painful emotions. The loved ones who are not there anymore can be sorely missed again as you go through the routines that you used to do with them – the champagne and the toasts, the countdown, the parties, etc. The disturbing events of the past can catch up and then you relive all the difficulties, making you feel wretched, scared and disenchanted. Thus, instead of being caught up in the revelry, you can be rivetted in your past traumas, grief over loss, isolation and loneliness.

You become vulnerable to the New Year’s blues too when you are a ruminator. According to Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a professor of psychology at Yale University and an author, ruminators are “… those who go over and over their problems, either in their own mind or by discussing them with others, but have no clear plan to solve the issues.” She also said that ruminators are at high risk to depression, having tendencies to be hypocritical of themselves, negative approach in life, and pessimistic. With depression, things can worsen, as you focus on the discouraging aspects of an issue all the time.

If it is any consolation, you are not the only person who feels down in the dumps on a festive New Year’s Eve. The occasion is cheery, which is the very reason why you could be missing loved ones, or you could be feeling afraid that everything else will pale in comparison afterwards. If the New Year is giving you a heavy feeling, you may not be emotionally fit enough to renew your perspectives in the coming year. Understanding the vital role of emotional health in drawing your priorities, it is best to seek the assistance of a counselor or therapist, so you can move forward with renewed passion and motivation.

Resolutions for Improved Emotional Health

Living alone can be sad. Studies reveal that isolating oneself from others can be a predictor of premature death, more than exercise or diet, and it is as potent as cigarette smoking. Conversely, meeting people and making new acquaintances/friends can boost emotional health, and being entrenched in many productive social groups can help you cope with stress better. Thus, having an active social life can be invigorating and these are important when you wish to lower your risks of depression and anxiety.

Seeking help is as important as having a social life. There is no use shrouding your emotional health issues in a cloak of invisibility, hiding them from view, and presuming that you can just “snap out of it” without help. The truth is that, emotionally unwell people need professional help to be able to overcome the condition. It is not wise to simply wallow in negative emotions, especially at a time or season like this. It takes courage to acknowledge that you need help. If you are ready to accept help, you are ready to meet up with a licensed therapist/counselor independently contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – West Fayetteville Office – Fayetteville, NC.

You can start the year right. With the right help from a CCS – West Fayetteville Office – Fayetteville, NC contracted counselor, you can bounce back with a renewed perspective. It is not impossible to move forward or bounce back in life, New Year’s or whatever time of the year. Whatever negative emotion is holding you back or is preventing you from making a change this year, resolve them by accepting professional help. There is so much in store for you. Have an exciting social life. This New Year, start anew with high hopes. Call us so you can get there.