It’s unusual in that the start of a new year can mean hope and promise and a “restart” for some, and for others it can trigger feelings of sadness, emptiness or anxiety at the perception of a lack of progress or being in an inferior position to the year before. In either of those scenarios, and so many more in between, what is important to understand is that these are perceptions.
Perceptions by definition is the way you notice or understand something using one of your senses. They are dictated by our internal mood states and our psychological disposition. Our internal mood acts as a lens on how we see the world. If we are feeling good, then the lens highlights the positive and filters the negative. The reverse is true. If we are not feeling psychologically well, then the lens highlights the negative and filters the positive.
Knowing this reality can help us build self-awareness of the connection between what we are feeling and how we came to feel that way. This self-knowledge can be powerful in helping us understand why emotions can sometimes feel as if they “came out of the blue”.
So be patient with yourself. There are 11 more months to make the connection.
