A New Year in Reflection – Tackling Anxiety About the New Year

As the year comes to a close, it may feel right to you to reflect on the past year as we enter the New Year. Reflection may help you gain self-awareness, reset and make new goals, and increase motivation for things to look forward to in the year to come. While reflecting, it is important to maintain a mindful awareness and compassion for yourself as you consider your achievements and setbacks.

Look Back on the Year With Intention

To break down what may feel overwhelming to review the entire year, you may find it valuable to review the year month-by-month or through key moments instead of trying to tackle reflecting on the whole year at the same time. Notice that not all items may have been met this year, and give yourself the grace to tell yourself that this is ok.

Ways you might collect information about the year may include looking back at calendar events, journals, photos, conversations, and goals you may have set at the start of the year.

Celebrate Achievements and Acknowledge Setbacks

Recognizing what didn’t go as planned without judgment. Try to see these as learning opportunities and places to grow rather than failures. Consider questions like “Was this year better than last?” “Am I comparing to myself or to the progress of others?” “How can I learn from or grow from this experience?” or “Was this goal aligned with my values?”

Notice that it may be helpful to ask yourself questions like “Were these moments as bad as I thought they were going to be?” “What coping skills did I use or learn to manage this worry?”
It is important to maintain self-compassion in this process. Remember that everyone does the best they can with the resources they have at any given time. Remind yourself that we are all works in progress and that we are all doing our best given our own personal set of circumstances.

Be Mindful in Your Reflection Practice

Practice mindfulness throughout your reflection by having present-moment awareness and a non-judgmental attitude. You may find it helpful to practice a mindfulness technique to increase your feelings of presence before starting your reflection on the year. Practice deep breathing, meditation, aromatherapy, or a body scan to center yourself before reflection. You may also want to join a mindfulness or yoga class in Health in Mind’s Wellness Studio!

Set Better Goals for the New Year

Try to incorporate insights from your reflection on the previous year as a foundation for goal-setting. Set intentional, realistic, and meaningful goals for yourself by thinking about the phase of life you’re in right now, your personal set of life circumstances, and where you might want to be a year from now. It can be helpful to break down your goals into actionable sub-steps so you can see visible progress, and to prioritize your goals based on what’s most important to you and your values.

You may decide to schedule and regularly revisit goals throughout the next year for accountability and adjustment. Create monthly or quarterly reminders on your phone or calendar to look at these goals and consider progress towards them or if they need to be changed based on changing circumstances. Goals are a working document, they don’t need to be set in stone. To increase accountability, you may also want to communicate these goals with others like friends, family and your therapist so that they can help encourage you throughout the year.

2026 is About Progress not Perfection

Remember that reflection is not about perfection but about personal progress. No one is perfect, and we are all works in progress. Try to enter this New Year with clarity, intentionality, and mindfulness. This can help you achieve your goals and treat yourself with kindness and compassion. Let this year be a fresh chapter where you can apply your learnings to grow and thrive. Reach out to Health in Mind if you think a therapist may be able to help you on your journey to self-improvement.