With the end of 2022 almost upon us, many people will be thinking up New Year resolutions for 2023. But while some will look forwards with idealism and optimism, others will see the next 12 months as a minefield of potential calamities and causes for worry.
If you are in the latter category, this may be a good indicator that you are suffering from anxiety. This can be made worse by the feeling that you are obliged to make New Year resolutions, as this can set you up to fail and therefore give you another thing to worry about.
The first thing to remember is you are not alone. New Year anxiety is common and has different elements. A fear of change, negative reflections on the past and just the intense focus on the future when the future is already a perpetual source of fear can all make this very hard.
An anxiety therapist in London may be able to offer a solution. Among the changes of approach they can help you to develop are mindfulness, where you will focus just on the moment rather than the enormity of a full year ahead, while also focusing not on resolutions to be rigidly obeyed from the outset, but longer-term goals to work towards.
You can also set some boundaries to make life easier. That means you don’t have to spend a lot of time with people who make you feel uncomfortable, or say yes to doing too many things, with the danger that this could drain your time, money or energy and thus increase the mental strain on you.
Above all, the one thing to avoid doing is nothing. Procrastination is a tempting option when you are anxious and even the idea of seeing a therapist could produce anxiety. But the benefits you can gain will help you approach 2023 and all it brings with a much stronger mindset, one that can help you deal with everything you may face.