The end of the year can feel like everything’s just unraveling!
Instead of celebrating the new year, does it feel more like you’re just dragging yourself into January?
It’s amazing how much a year can take out of you, especially if you haven’t been able to do the things you need to take care of yourself. You end up simply trying to get through each day, and what’s left is the mental clutter of worry and stress.
That’s not very fulfilling or encouraging.
So, to start the new year right, here are some ideas to clear out the mental clutter, regain focus, and enrich your life.
Clear Out the Mental Clutter from the Past Year
First, let’s start by clearing out the mental clutter that’s been building up. Examples of mental clutter include:
- Worry
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Fear
- Obligations
- Anything that detracts from your quality of life
The best way to clear out this mental clutter is to get it all out of your head. But how?
You can write it all down. Everything. The format doesn’t matter. It can be a list, phrases, or even writing an entire essay. Writing helps with transitioning whatever is on your mind out of your body.
Go old school and use a pen and pad of paper. The tactile sensation of writing will help with clearing the mental clutter.
Regain Focus for the New Year
Once you’ve cleared out the mental clutter, it’s time to regain focus. One idea is to look at what you’ve written. Study the material.
What are the things that matter to you? Which are things you absolutely “need” to do? And what are the items that are distractions or are unhelpful?
Cross out those latter items while circling the things that matter most. Then, consider how you might best focus on these for the new year. Prioritize three or four items, and make goals. Use the SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).
Enrich Your Life Not Just Next Year but Every Year!
Finally, take some time to reflect on how to better enrich your life each year. For example:
- Focusing on those things that matter most to you.
- Try something new: a sport, hobby, or learning a new skill.
- Travel! Go somewhere you’ve already dreamed of visiting.
- Commit yourself to cooking tasty, healthy meals that are delicious.
- Listen to music. Even better, learn how to play an instrument!
All of these are good ideas. However, the most critical way to enrich your life is creating and maintain healthy relationships with other people.
This includes cultivating the friendships that already exist in your life. But it can also mean you work on branching out to different social circles. If you live far away from family, use modern communication tools and apps to stay in touch. When you have strong relationships with those you care about, you truly do have a rich life.
Help for Starting Off the New Year Right
Just as you might clean house in the New Year, it helps to do some mental decluttering to regain focus. Although the above-mentioned ideas are very useful, you might still be struggling with how to best implement them. That’s okay! We all need some help from time-to-time.
The new year can be a good time to start all kinds of practices. Why not include seeing a therapist? Therapy can help provide that extra support you need to clear out the mental clutter and refocus on what’s important to you. That way you can have a more enriching and fulfilling life.
It would be my pleasure to help guide you through the process to start the new year off right. Please, feel free to contact us to find out more about how we can help you.